Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-28

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 6.0)

The chart shows the results of a survey conducted by a national media outlet to identify the top five small firms in the UK that are most suitable to work for.

Overall, the company with the lowest number of staff and a majority of female workers is the best to work for, compared to the business with the highest number of staff and almost equal proportions of male and female workers.

The most suitable company to work for has 56 staff, which is the lowest that is followed by companies with second company with 79, third 72, fourth 76, and the fifth190 staffs. The survey shows that the best company to work for has the lowest proportion of male workers compared to female workers (30:70). Also, 77% of the personnel are under the age of 35, and their staff turnover is 5%, with 34% of staff in the high-income bracket.

The comparison shows the male-to-female ratios of the rest of the companies are 47:53, 74:26, 13:87, and 51:49. In these companies, the fifth company has the majority of staff under 35 years of age also their staff turnover is the highest of 33%. Out of all, the company with the lowest percentage in the high-income bracket is the fifth company with 2%, and the highest is 74% for the third company.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the survey’s purpose and provide a clear overall comparison between the first- and fifth-ranked companies, supported by relevant figures. Several details are accurately selected, including the first company’s 56 employees and 30:70 gender ratio, and the third company’s 74% high-income figure. However, the overview is somewhat narrow: it focuses on company size and gender balance rather than summarising other major patterns, such as the fifth company’s highest turnover and the wide variation in high-income staff. Some data are omitted, including the age and turnover figures for most companies, and the phrase “the most suitable company” risks implying a conclusion beyond the survey ranking. A fuller overview and more balanced coverage of key comparisons would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting details. The information generally moves from the top-ranked company to comparisons among the others, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Also,” and “In these companies” help guide the reader. However, progression is not always smooth. The sentence listing staff numbers—“companies with second company with 79, third 72…”—is difficult to follow, and the final paragraph combines gender ratios, age, turnover, and income without clearly grouping related comparisons. Some references, such as “these companies,” are broad and could be more precise. Organising the data into clearer comparison groups and using more exact referencing would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “survey,” “proportion,” “personnel,” “staff turnover,” and “high-income bracket.” These choices allow you to report the main categories and make comparisons, and the meaning is generally clear. There is also some variety in how you describe the data, such as “lowest proportion” and “majority.” To show more flexible and precise control, avoid awkward or imprecise expressions such as “most suitable to work for” and “the fifth company has the majority of staff under 35 years of age also their staff turnover.” “Staffs” is also not the appropriate plural form of “staff.” More natural collocations for ranking, workforce composition, and percentages would improve the fluency of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “the company with the lowest number of staff … is the best to work for” and a comparison introduced by “compared to.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some errors and awkward constructions reduce accuracy. For example, “which is the lowest that is followed by companies with second company with 79” has a faulty clause structure, while “the fifth company has the majority … also their staff turnover” joins two ideas without a suitable grammatical link. The phrase “the fifth190 staffs” also lacks spacing and uses an incorrect plural form. Aim for shorter, complete sentences when listing figures, and check clause connections, articles, and singular/plural forms.

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