Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-21

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 provides the information regarding 5 small companies in Britain that came top in a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to find out which companies are best to work for.

Overall,company that came first has the least number of staff, more females then male.Company which came last from 5 has the most amountof staff with almost perfect male and female ratio, highest number of young staff. Remaining 3 companies from second to fourth place have their own characteristics respectivey.

The companies on top 3 have seperate characteristics. On first position there is a company with least amount of staff at 56 members. Company has more female then male at 30:70 male:female ratio.77% of staff is young under 35,the staff turnover is second least at 5%, and 34% of staff is in highcome bracket.Whereas in second and third place companies the number of staff is 76 and 72.Second company has more female then male at 47:53 male:female ratio, while third one has more male staff then females at 74:26.Second company has 59% staff under 35 and 1% over 55,whereas third company has second most highest number of young staff at 82%.Staff turnover is 10% lower in third then second staff is in higher income bracket at third company.

On the other hand the 4th and 5th place company has 76 staff members and 190 staff members respectively.in 4th place company there is more female staff then male staff at 13:87 male:female ratio,26%of staff is under 35 and 8% over 55 age. Staff turnover percentage is 13%, 5% of staff is in high income bracket.While in 5th place company there is almost perfect male female ratio at 51:49. Highest number of young staff at 93% of members are under 35 years of age.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and report several relevant comparisons, including the first-ranked company’s small workforce and the fifth-ranked company’s large workforce and high proportion of younger staff. However, some figures are inaccurate or unclear: the second-ranked company has 79 employees, not 76, and the third-ranked company has 72; the fourth has 76. You also say the third-ranked company’s turnover is “10% lower” than the second’s, although the figures are 8% and 18%, a difference of 10 percentage points. The overview gives useful broad features, but it omits the striking variation in high-income staff and does not clearly summarise turnover. Develop these key comparisons accurately and cover the fifth company’s turnover and income data as well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs comparing groups of companies. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information, and linking expressions such as “Whereas” and “On the other hand” help signal contrasts. However, the grouping is not always logical: the paragraph called “top 3” includes the first, second and third companies, then the final paragraph discusses the fourth and fifth, while the overview refers to the “remaining 3” without making the comparison clear. Some transitions are awkward or incomplete, particularly “Staff turnover is 10% lower in third then second staff is in higher income bracket…”. Use a consistent ranking-based structure and connect each comparison in complete, clearly referenced sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “male:female ratio,” “under 35,” and “high income bracket,” so the main subject is usually clear. There are also attempts to vary comparisons with phrases such as “Whereas” and “On the other hand.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, including “most amount of staff,” “more females then male,” and “second most highest.” Spelling and spacing problems such as “respectivey,” “seperate,” and “highcome” also reduce precision. Choose standard forms such as “largest workforce,” “more women than men,” and “the second-highest proportion,” and proofread compound terms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, for example, “Whereas in second and third place companies…” and “while third one has more male staff…”. This shows some range, and the overall meaning can generally be followed. However, errors in sentence construction, articles, agreement and punctuation are noticeable. Examples include “Overall,company,” “Company has more female then male,” and the fragment-like sequence “Staff turnover is 10% lower in third then second staff is in higher income bracket…”. Several sentences also lack articles or clear subjects, as in “in 4th place company.” Build each comparison as a complete sentence, use articles consistently (“the company”), and check punctuation and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would make your complex comparisons easier to understand.

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