Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-22

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 4.5)

The table illustrates the data about the five best small companies to work for in Britian which became top in the survey of staff provided by the national newspaper to find out which companies are the perfect for work.

Overall, it is clearly that in the whole table the all data is related to staff including number of staff, male:female ratio, under 35s/ over 55s, staff turnover and staff in high income bracket.

The highest number of staff is recorded by the 5th position company survey with 190 members, compared with 4th position with 76, 3rd position with 72 while the 1st position recorded the least with 56. Followed by the ratio of male and female the greatest ratio is

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the table’s subject and reports some relevant figures, including the fifth-ranked company’s 190 staff and the first-ranked company’s 56. However, it does not provide a meaningful overview of the main comparisons: the statement that all the data concerns staff merely lists the categories. The comparison is also left unfinished at “the greatest ratio is,” and most key features—such as turnover, age profile and high-income staff—are not reported. The response is substantially under the required 150 words, which limits how much of the task it addresses. To improve, complete the comparisons and summarise the most notable contrasts, including the first-ranked company’s lowest turnover and the third-ranked company’s highest share in the high-income bracket.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overview-like paragraph and then a paragraph reporting staff numbers. This gives the reader some sense of progression, and phrases such as “Overall” and “compared with” help signal relationships. However, the overview does not actually summarise the main patterns, and the final sentence stops mid-comparison, leaving the response without a complete ending. The sequence of figures is also difficult to follow because the comparisons are not consistently framed. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview and key comparisons, group related data, and ensure each sentence is complete so the information develops logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “male:female ratio,” and “high income bracket,” and the reader can generally recognise the topic. However, the range is limited, and several phrases are awkward or inaccurate, such as “the perfect for work” and “the greatest ratio.” “The data about” and “became top in the survey” also do not express the intended meaning naturally. Spelling is inaccurate in “Britian.” These choices make the description less clear and precise than it needs to be. Build a small range of accurate comparison language, such as “ranked first,” “accounted for,” “the highest proportion,” and “whereas,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few longer sentence forms, particularly when comparing staff numbers, and the basic meaning of the figures is mostly recoverable. However, grammatical control is uneven. The opening contains faulty constructions in “which became top” and “which companies are the perfect for work,” while “Overall, it is clearly that” has an incorrect clause pattern. The sentence beginning “Followed by the ratio” is incomplete and ends without a main clause, so the comparison cannot be understood. There is little variety beyond simple statements and one extended comparison. Practise complete clauses and accurate introductory patterns—for example, “Overall, the table shows…”—then check that every sentence has a clear subject and verb and is fully punctuated.

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