Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-04

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 4.5)

The given table illustrate the comparison of five small companies in Britian that come top in a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to find out which conpanies are best to work. Given table shows that company at the 1 st position with having 56 staff members -in which 30 percent are male and 70 percent are , 77 percent staff in the company under 35 and remaining 33 percent are under 55 ,staff turnover is 5 percent and staff in high income bracket are 34 percent. The company holding 2nd position having79 staff members which are more than 1st, 3rd and 4th position holders male:female staff ratio in that company is 47:53 in which 59 percent are under 35 and 1% over 55 and remaining are under 55, this company having greater staff turnover is 18 percent, company having staff in high income bracket is 48 percent. On the comparison company holding 5th position having highest number of member under 35/ over 55 are 93/0 percent other companies having having 26/8, and 82/0 percent , This company having highest staff turnover is 33 percent others having 13percent, 8 percent.It also having greater number of staff members 190 while company holding 4th position having 76 and company holding 3rd position having 72 staff members, Company holding 5th position having almost equal number of males and female, company at 4th position having maximum number of female staff and minimum number of make staff.Company on 3rd position having staff in high income 74 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant comparisons, including the fifth-ranked company’s largest workforce (190), highest turnover (33%) and the third-ranked company’s leading high-income share (74%). However, the response does not provide a clear overview of the main patterns, and some figures are misreported: for the first-ranked company, the remaining 23% are over 55, not 33%; for the second-ranked company, the remaining 40% are not described accurately. The statement that the fifth-ranked company has the highest number of staff under 35 is correct, but its age comparison with other companies is incomplete. Several important contrasts, such as the fourth-ranked company’s low high-income share and the first-ranked company’s lowest turnover, are not clearly summarised. Select key features and report them accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response includes information about several companies and uses basic linking expressions such as “while,” “also” and “on the comparison.” However, ideas are crowded into a single long paragraph, and the sequence shifts between rankings, age, turnover, workforce size and gender without a clear organising principle. Repeated references to “company holding” make it difficult to track which figures belong together, while the final comparisons are compressed into a run-on sentence. Grouping the information into an introduction, a concise overview and two comparison paragraphs—for example, rankings 1–2 and 3–5—would make the progression easier to follow. Use clear reference phrases and connect each comparison directly to the relevant company.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “high income bracket,” “male:female staff ratio” and “staff members,” so the reader can generally understand the subject. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, particularly “company holding” and “having.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “come top,” “remaining are under 55” and “greater number of staff members.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “Britian,” “conpanies” and “make” for “male.” Aim for more precise comparison language, such as “ranked first,” “accounted for,” “the proportion of” and “had the largest workforce,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to combine several details in longer sentences, but sentence structures are often incomplete or poorly controlled. For example, “The company holding 2nd position having79 staff members” lacks a main verb, and “This company having greater staff turnover is 18 percent” has an unclear grammatical construction. Agreement and article use are also inconsistent, as in “The given table illustrate” and “company at the 1 st position.” Punctuation is weak: long clauses are joined with commas, producing run-on sentences that obscure relationships between facts. Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and vary them with controlled comparisons—for example, “The second-ranked company employed 79 people, compared with 56 at the top-ranked firm.”

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