Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The table chart illustrate the information about the five minor companies in Britain that came high in a survey of worhas kers conducted by a national newspaper to have a comparison that which company are the best to work. The survey is of five categories included the number of staff, ratio of male and female, staff turnover etc.

Overall, company fifth has the highest number of staff whereas company first has the lowest number of workers. Furthermore, company third has the most male staff while company first has the highest number of female staff. Additionally, business fifth has highest percentage of younger staff whereas business fourth has the minimum of the younger staff.

Begin with more details, business fifth has the most workers turnover with around 33% while business one has the least with 5%. Following by second firm with 18%, third with 8% and fourth with 13%.

Moreover, company third has the most staff in high income bracket with 74% whereas company fifth has the least with 2%. Business one with 34%, second with 48% and the fifth with 2%.

In conclusion, business third has the highest income with most ratio of male employees

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several relevant comparisons, including the largest and smallest workforces, turnover, and high-income staff. The figures for these points are mostly accurate: the fifth-ranked company has 190 employees and 33% turnover, while the first has 56 employees and 5% turnover; the third has the highest high-income share at 74%. However, coverage is uneven. The overview mentions gender and age patterns but does not report the age figures, and the male/female comparison is not fully accurate: the third company has the highest proportion of men, while the first has the highest proportion of women. The final claim that the third has the “most ratio of male employees” is unclear and repeats an idea rather than adding a useful summary. Include the age and income contrasts more clearly and avoid unsupported or confusing conclusions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, detail paragraphs and a concluding sentence. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “Moreover” help signal relationships. However, progression is sometimes mechanical, and the final “In conclusion” repeats the income and gender points without providing a distinct conclusion. Some references are also unclear: “the fifth” appears twice in the income paragraph, although the first mention seems intended to refer to the first-ranked company. Grouping related comparisons into clearer paragraphs—for example, workforce profile first, then turnover and income—would make the organisation more purposeful and the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “high income bracket,” “ratio” and “percentage,” so the main subject is generally clear. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a table. “Table chart” is redundant, “minor companies” does not mean small companies in this context, and “came high” is an awkward way to describe survey rankings. There is also an obvious spelling/typing problem in “worhas kers,” and repeated use of “business” and “company” limits precision. Choose standard reporting language such as “ranked,” “workforce” and “proportion,” and check spelling and collocations. These improvements would make the description more accurate and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons with “whereas” and clauses introduced by “while.” These structures help communicate contrasts, but some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make relationships difficult to interpret. For example, “The table chart illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “The survey is of five categories included” has an unclear clause structure. In “company fifth has highest number,” articles are missing, and “Following by second firm” is not a complete grammatical construction. The final sentence, “business third has the highest income with most ratio of male employees,” is also structurally unclear. Practise accurate article use, agreement, and complete comparative sentences; simpler, well-controlled phrasing would improve clarity.

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