Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)

The table shows the gives information about the five small companies in Britain that came in a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to research out which business are the best to work for.

After analyzing the table, it can be seen clearly negligible differences a lot of staff number. There are showing the table categories six table the position of survey staff numbers male female ratio staff turnover staff in high income bracket.

The five best small companies to work for the first position in survey second survey third survey fourth survey fifth survey. The first survey staff numbers 56 the second survey 79 third survey 72 fourth survey 76 and last 190 survey. The male female ratio the first 30.70 it was highest the second 47.53 it was less increased compared the first third 74.26. fourth was decreased 13.87 compared those and fifth was increasing from 51.49.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the table’s subject and report some figures, including the staff totals and male-to-female ratios. However, the response does not provide a clear overview of the main patterns, and it omits important categories such as age, staff turnover and high-income employees. Some comparisons are also unclear or inaccurate: for example, “30.70” should be expressed as a 30:70 ratio, and the claim that this was the highest is not supported by the figures. The response contains 121 words, below the required 150, and 30 words copied from the prompt are excluded from that count. To improve, meet the minimum and select key contrasts, such as the fifth-ranked company’s high turnover and the third-ranked company’s high-income share.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the table, followed by a description of its contents and some figures. However, the ideas do not develop in a clear sequence, and the second paragraph is difficult to follow, particularly “There are showing the table categories six table.” The final paragraph lists positions and ratios without grouping related information or explaining the comparisons. Linking and reference are also limited, so phrases such as “it was less increased compared the first” leave the relationship between figures unclear. Use a clear overview paragraph, then group comparisons by theme—for example, workforce size and gender, followed by age, turnover and income—and connect each point explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “staff numbers,” “male female ratio,” “staff turnover” and “high income bracket,” which shows an attempt to describe the table’s categories. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive. “Came in a survey” and “research out” do not express the intended meaning naturally, while “business” is imprecise when referring to the companies. The repeated use of “survey” for the companies’ positions also makes the description confusing. Build a more precise range of reporting language, such as “ranked,” “accounted for” and “the proportion of staff,” and use standard forms such as “male-to-female ratio.” These changes would make the data easier to interpret.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both an introductory sentence and longer descriptions of the figures, but sentence structures are mostly simple or incomplete, and errors frequently affect clarity. For example, “The table shows the gives information” contains competing verb structures, while “There are showing the table categories” lacks a clear grammatical construction. In “The first survey staff numbers 56,” the relationship between the company’s rank and its staff total is not expressed with a complete clause. Articles and prepositions are also missing or awkward, as in “came in a survey” and “compared the first.” Practise accurate patterns such as “The company ranked first had 56 employees” and “Its ratio was higher than that of the first-ranked company.”

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