Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The table illustrates differences of staff numbers, male:female ratio, under 35s/ over 55s, staff turnover, staff in high income bracket for top five small companies in Britain.

Overall, 5th company has the largest number of staff, whereas 1st has the fewest staff. Number of male and female staff are nearly equal in 5th, male contrubute least in 4th company. 5th company has more staff of under 35 years old staff, and 1st and 3rd has 0 staff of over 55 years. Staff trunover is highest in 5th, and lowest in 1st. The staff of 1st company earn the highest income and 5th earn the lowest.

1st company has the lowest staff, which is 56. 2nd has 79, 3rd contribute 72, 4th represent 76 and 5th has largest number, which is 190. 1st has 70% female and

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant overall patterns, including that the fifth-ranked company has the most staff and highest turnover, while the first has the fewest staff and lowest turnover. However, the response is incomplete: it stops after “1st has 70% female and” and does not finish the comparison or report most of the table’s figures. There is also a key misreading: the first company does not have the highest proportion of high earners; the third does, at 74%, compared with 34% in first place. The overview is therefore only partly accurate and the selected details are underdeveloped. The response is also below the required 150 words. To improve, complete the report and accurately compare the most notable figures across the five companies.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening sentence, an overview, and the beginning of a detail paragraph. This helps the reader identify the topic and some main patterns. However, the progression is limited because the final paragraph ends mid-sentence, leaving the staff-gender comparison unfinished and the remaining data unreported. Within the overview, several facts are placed one after another with little grouping, so comparisons across related categories are not developed. Repeated sentence openings such as “1st company” and “5th company” also make the writing feel list-like. Organise the details into clear groups—for example, staffing and age, then turnover and income—and use linking phrases to show contrasts and comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “staff turnover,” “male:female ratio,” and “high income bracket,” which makes the subject clear. There is some variety in reporting figures through “has,” “contribute,” and “represent,” but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “3rd contribute 72” and “4th represent 76” do not collocate naturally with staff numbers. Spelling errors, including “contrubute” and “trunover,” are noticeable, and “staff of under 35 years old staff” is repetitive and awkward. These issues limit precision, although the intended meaning is generally recoverable. Use standard reporting expressions such as “employed,” “accounted for,” and “the proportion of employees under 35,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing communicates its main points through mostly simple sentence patterns, and the overview includes some attempts to combine comparisons in longer sentences. However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “Number of male and female staff are nearly equal” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “1st and 3rd has 0 staff” uses an incorrect verb form and omits a clear noun such as “companies.” The phrase “5th company has more staff of under 35 years old staff” also has an unclear grammatical structure. The final sentence is incomplete, ending with “and.” Practise accurate plural subjects, articles, and complete comparative sentences, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.