Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-01

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 illustrates the data about the best small company to work for in Britain, the survey conducted by a national newspaper though companies staff.

Overall, companies of top 5 position are demonstrated with multiple feature. company of the first position has only 5% of staff turnover with 56 overall employes, while company of the fifth position has 33% staff turnover and 190 staff members.

Company that top the list has overall 56 Staff number with 30 to 70 male to female ratio and 77% staff are under age of 35 while 0% are over 55. That are the company with only 5% of staff turnover and 34% of staff are in high income bracket. Followed by the company that came second in the list with 79 number of employes and 47 to 53 male to female ratio. workers under age of 35 are 59% and only 1% are above age of 55. this company has the second highest value of staff turnover with 18% and 45% of staff in high income. The company on 3rd position has total 72 number of workers with 74 to 26 male to female ratio and no worker over age of 55 and 82% of workers are under age of 35. the staff turnover value are 8% and 74% of staff in high income bracket.

company of position 4th and 5th have 76 and 190 number of employes, 13 to 87 and 51 to 49 male to female ratio, 26% and 93% of age under 35 and over age are 8% and 0% , percent of staff turnover are 13% and 33%, staff in high income bracket are 5% and 2%, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover all five companies and report several relevant comparisons, including the first-ranked company’s low turnover (5%) and the fifth-ranked company’s larger workforce and higher turnover (190 staff; 33%). You also include useful details about age, gender balance and income. However, the overview is limited: it mainly contrasts the first and fifth companies rather than summarising broader patterns across the table. There is also a factual error: the second-ranked company has 48% of staff in the high-income bracket, not 45%. Some comparisons could be made clearer—for example, the third-ranked company has the highest high-income share (74%), while the fourth and fifth have very low figures (5% and 2%). A more selective overview and accurate reporting would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable order: it introduces the table, gives an overview, and then describes the companies from first to fifth. The final paragraph efficiently groups the fourth- and fifth-ranked companies, and words such as “while,” “followed by” and “respectively” help show relationships. However, the overview does not establish a clear set of main patterns, and the body often reads as a sequence of figures rather than a comparison. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “That are the company” and “Followed by the company,” while inconsistent capitalisation and sentence boundaries interrupt the flow. Grouping companies by shared features—for instance, turnover or income—would create clearer progression and make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “staff turnover,” “male to female ratio,” “under age of 35” and “high income bracket.” This gives the response enough task-related language to communicate most of the information. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, such as “company of the first position,” “staff number” and “number of employes.” Some word combinations are unnatural, including “the survey conducted … though companies staff.” Spelling and word-form errors, such as “employes,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural reporting expressions such as “ranked first,” “workforce” and “employees,” and vary repeated references to “company” and “staff.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the company-by-company structure makes the information broadly understandable. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, particularly in longer constructions. Examples include “the survey conducted by a national newspaper though companies staff,” “Overall, companies of top 5 position are demonstrated,” and “That are the company,” where sentence structure and agreement are faulty. There are also recurring problems with articles, plurals and verb forms, as in “56 Staff number” and “the staff turnover value are 8%.” Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, with several sentences beginning with lowercase “company” or “this.” Use shorter, complete sentences when listing data, and check subject–verb agreement and article use before combining details.

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