Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-20

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 5.0)

The tabular data provide information about the five small companies in Britain which are most suitable for livelihood. The data has been collected by National newspaper for staff in a company.

The first company is the smallest company of all, whilst 5th company is the largest in the group in staff numbers. The other significant company is 2nd company with second highest staff members. The other two companies are smaller than the others.

The largest company i.e fifth company have the highest male to female ratio at 51:49, while the staff in high income bracket is lowest in the fifth company. It also have the highest staff turnover. The first company have second highest under 35s staff with 77% of its staff is under 35.

The women employability is high in the fourth comapny with male to female ratio is 13:87. The highest staff with high income is in the third company with 74% of staff is in high income bracket. While other companies have their proprtion well below these two companies. The most staff has been in these two companies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant comparisons, including the largest and smallest workforces, the fifth company’s high turnover, and the third company’s leading share of high earners. However, the overview is not clear, and some key data are omitted or inaccurately described. For example, the first company has the lowest staff turnover, while the fifth has the highest; this contrast could help summarise the table. The statement that the fifth company has the “highest male to female ratio” is misleading: its ratio is 51:49, whereas the third company has the highest proportion of men at 74:26. The claim that “most staff” are in the third and fourth companies is also unclear and unsupported. Select the main patterns and report them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has some paragraphing and a broadly sensible movement from workforce size to gender, age, turnover and income. However, there is no clear overall progression: the opening does not provide a useful overview, and the final paragraph shifts between gender and income without a clear organising principle. Linking words such as “whilst,” “while” and “also” are used, but connections are sometimes awkward or repetitive, and “The other two companies are smaller than the others” does not clarify which companies are being compared. Grouping related features—for example, workforce size and age together, then turnover and income—would make the comparisons easier to follow. Use clear references to each company and finish with a concise summary of the strongest overall patterns.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a table, including “staff numbers,” “staff turnover,” “high income bracket” and “male to female ratio.” This gives the response a minimally adequate range, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural and sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. “Most suitable for livelihood” does not accurately express that these companies ranked as the best places to work, and “women employability is high” is not a natural way to describe the gender ratio. “The most staff has been in these two companies” is also unclear. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “comapny” and “proprtion.” Prefer precise terms such as “ranked,” “workforce,” “female employees” and “proportion,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, using contrasts such as “whilst” and “while,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and verb forms occur in sentences such as “The largest company … have” and “It also have”; these should be “has.” The sentence “the first company have second highest under 35s staff with 77% of its staff is under 35” combines clauses incorrectly and repeats the same information. Articles and comparison structures are also often missing or faulty, as in “5th company is the largest” and “second highest staff members.” These errors can make relationships between figures unclear. Build shorter, accurate comparison sentences first, then add complex clauses only when their grammar is secure.

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