Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-02

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 presents the information on five small companies in Britain that came up top in a survey of staff conducted by national newspaper to find out which comapnies are the best to work for.

Overall, company in first place has the least number of staff while the company in fifth place is has the most..

Company in last has all young staff. Staff from the third place company is payed higher among other companies. 4th company has most female staff.

Company which came first has 56 total staff members among which 70% are women, 77% of staff is under the age of 35,

the staff turnover of the comany is lowest at 5% aand 34% of staff is in high income bracket. While the runnerup company has 79 staff memebers with 53% females, the 59% of staff is under 35 and 48% of which is in high income bracket.

The companies in 3rd and 4th places have 72 and 76 staff members respectively. 74% of staff in third company is male while only 13% male staff is in 4th company. Third company has 83% staff under 35 and the staff turnover is 8%and 74% of staff is in high income bracket. Whereas second last company has 26% staff below 35 years of age and staff turnover is 13%. The company that came last has 190 employees from which 51% are male , 93% are under 35 and only 2% are in high income bracket.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all five companies and report several relevant comparisons, including staff numbers, age profiles, turnover and high-income shares. The overview identifies useful extremes: the first-ranked company has the fewest employees, the fifth has the most, and the fourth has the highest proportion of women. However, some key details are inaccurate: the third-ranked company has 82% of staff under 35, not 83%, and the fifth-ranked company does not have “all young staff” because the table gives no over-55s but does not establish that every employee is young. The overview could also compare turnover and income more clearly across the companies. Overall, the main features are selected, but some are less fully or precisely reported than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of supporting details. Grouping the first two companies and then the third to fifth gives the reader a workable route through the data. However, progression is weakened by abrupt or unclear references such as “Company in last” and “second last company,” and the overview’s short statements do not connect the main comparisons into a clear summary. Linking words such as “while” and “whereas” are used, but sometimes create awkward or incomplete transitions. To improve, organise the body consistently by rank or by shared features, and use precise references such as “the fifth-ranked company” throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “high income bracket,” “runner-up,” and “respectively,” which helps communicate the comparisons. There is some variety in how you describe the figures, but several word-choice and spelling problems reduce accuracy and polish: “came up top” is an unnatural collocation, “payed” is the wrong spelling and form for this context, and “comany” and “memebers” are misspelled. Phrases such as “staff from the third place company is payed higher” are also imprecise: the table reports the proportion in a high-income bracket, not that staff are paid higher overall. Aim for accurate, neutral reporting language and proofread spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons with “while” and “whereas,” and most of the data remains understandable. However, errors in sentence structure, agreement and articles are noticeable. For example, “Company in first place has…” needs an article, “the company in fifth place is has the most” contains an unnecessary verb, and “77% of staff is under the age of 35” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The sentence beginning “While the runnerup company…” is not smoothly connected to the preceding sentence, and punctuation is inconsistent, as in “8%and.” Use complete, clearly punctuated sentences and check articles and agreement when describing percentages and groups.

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