Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-17

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table below gives information about the five small companies in Britain that came top in a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to find out which companies are the best to work for.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

THE FIVE BEST SMALL COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The table compares the data of staff conducted by a survey in a newspaper to indentify which companies are well to work for in different small companies in Britain.

Overall, it is clear that the staff numbers in 5th company was higher than the remaining four companies. While, the 5th number company the proportion of staff in high income bracket was lowest rather then 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies.

Looking in more detail in table, In 1st company male and female staff ratio were 30:70 came from survey. Also staff turnover and staff in high income bracket proportion were 5% and 34% respectively. In 2nd company, staff numbers was the 2nd postion on the survey at 79, whereas there male and female ratio was most balanced at 47:53.

For remaining data, Staff in high income bracket in 3rd company was highest percentage at 74%. In this company, 82% staff was under 35s and 0% staff was over 55s. In contrast, in 4th company they allow over 55s staff rather than remain 4 company.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant features, including the fifth-ranked company having the most staff and the third-ranked company having the highest share of high earners. You also report some figures accurately, such as the first company’s 30:70 gender ratio and the third company’s age profile. However, the overview is incomplete and partly unclear: the fifth company’s high-income share is lowest, but the fourth company is also very low, at 5%, compared with 2%. Several important comparisons are omitted, including the highest turnover at the fifth company and the contrast in staff age and gender across the companies. The final sentence about the fourth company is difficult to interpret and does not clearly report its figures. Select the main contrasts and explain them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the first three companies and then the fourth. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is uneven: the fifth company is mentioned in the overview but receives no detailed description, and the final paragraph ends with an unclear comparison about the fourth company. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Looking in more detail,” and “In contrast” help signal relationships, but some are used mechanically or do not connect ideas clearly. Grouping the companies by notable features—for example, staff numbers and turnover, then age and income—would create a clearer progression. Use references such as “the fifth-ranked company” consistently to make comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “high income bracket,” “proportion,” and “balanced,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning unclear. For example, “data of staff conducted by a survey” does not naturally describe what the table presents, while “well to work for” and “the 2nd postion” are imprecise. “They allow over 55s staff” is also not an appropriate way to describe the age data. Spelling errors such as “indentify” and “postion” are noticeable. Aim for precise reporting language, such as “the survey ranked,” “accounted for,” and “had the highest proportion.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast beginning “While” and a comparison introduced by “whereas.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to understand. Examples include “the staff numbers … was higher,” where subject–verb agreement is incorrect, and “In 2nd company, staff numbers was,” which also needs an article and plural agreement. The sentence beginning “While, the 5th number company…” is incomplete, and “In this company, 82% staff was…” has problems with articles and agreement. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly after full stops. Practise complete sentence structures and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries during revision.

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