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 illustrates the information about UK's companies to figure out which organisation are best to work for.

Overall, all companies are examined on different parameters for instance company size , organisation's ratio in term of gender, as per employees salaries and turnover.

Company who stood 1st in the list have 56 employees and their gender ration is 30:70, 30% of their employees are males and rest of them are females. This company promotes females over males, Most of their employees are less the 35 year. Staff turnover and staff in high income range not impressive for this firm. On the other hand there is the company who stood at the 5th position , company is quite larger than others. Its ratio to male female is quite balanced 51% of them are male and 49% are female staff. 93% of their staff under 35 years. and staff turnover is maximum as compare to others figures.

In conclusion, the tabular representation compare 5 companies of the basis of their employees income , ratio and turnover.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the table’s subject and give a basic overview of the categories, then compare the first- and fifth-ranked companies. Several details are accurate: the top company has 56 employees and a 30:70 male-to-female ratio, while the fifth has 190 staff, a 51:49 ratio, and the highest turnover at 33%. However, the report covers only two of the five companies and does not clearly select the most notable patterns across the table. For example, the third-ranked company has the highest share in the high-income bracket (74%), while the fourth has the lowest (5%); these useful contrasts are omitted. “Staff in high income range not impressive” is also vague and does not report the first company’s 34%. Develop a fuller overview and support it with key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph comparing two companies, and a concluding sentence. The contrast between the first- and fifth-ranked firms gives the main body some direction. However, progression is limited because most of the table is not organised into clear comparison groups, and the conclusion largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing together the main findings. Linking is also sometimes awkward or mechanical, as in “On the other hand there is the company who stood at the 5th position.” The overview lists categories but does not establish a clear hierarchy of the most important features. Grouping related comparisons—for example, staff turnover and high-income shares—would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “employees,” “gender,” “staff turnover,” “high income,” and “position.” These terms make the topic generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or vague: “gender ration,” “promotes females over males,” and “not impressive for this firm” do not describe the data precisely. “Company” and “staff” are also repeated frequently, while “tabular representation” sounds unnatural in this context. Aim for concise, conventional reporting language and use precise terms such as “female employees,” “turnover rate,” and “the proportion of staff in the high-income bracket.” This would improve clarity and make comparisons more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the reader can usually understand the intended comparisons. However, errors occur frequently in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “Company who stood 1st in the list have 56 employees” has a singular subject with a plural verb, and “Most of their employees are less the 35 year” contains several grammatical problems. The sentence beginning “On the other hand there is the company…” is also awkwardly constructed, and the final sentence uses “compare” where a different verb form is needed. Commas and full stops are sometimes missing or misplaced, including around “females, Most.” Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then add complex clauses with careful agreement and punctuation.

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