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 table show the information about five best small companies.

In first company the total staff member is 56.But 30% female and 70%male and 77% staff under 35.Staff turnover is only 5% the staff in high income bracket is 34%.

In second company the total staff member is 79.But 47% female and 53%male and 59% staff under 35 and 1% under 55.Staff turnover is only 18% the staff in high income bracket is 48%.

In third company the members is 72. Male 74% and female 26% and 82% under 35.The staff turnover is 18%.The staff in high income bracket is 74%

In forth company the staff is 76 members 13% male and 87 female. The 26% under 35 and 8% under 55. The staff turn over is 13%.The staff in high income bracket is only 5 %

In fifth company the total members is 190 the 51% male 49 % female 93% under 35. The staff turnover is 33%.The staff in high income bracket is 2%

The large number of members in company 5th and small number in 1st and average in 3rd. High number of male staff in 3rd and small in 4th and average in 2nd. High number of female staff in 1st company and small in 3rd. The large staff under 35 in 5th company and small in 4th.High income staff in 3rd and small in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You report several relevant figures, including staff totals, age profiles, turnover and high-income shares, and you identify some extremes, such as the largest workforce at the fifth-ranked company and the highest high-income share at the third. However, the response is mainly a company-by-company list rather than a clear summary of the main features. Some figures are inaccurate: the first company’s gender ratio is 30% male and 70% female, not the reverse; the second company’s ratio is also reversed; and the third company’s turnover is 8%, not 18%. You also describe the over-55 figures as “under 55.” The final comparison is unfinished, and there is no clear overall overview. Select the most important contrasts and report them accurately to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the first company to the fifth, so readers can follow which figures belong to each business. However, this repeated listing does not create a clear progression from an overview to supporting comparisons. The final paragraph attempts to compare companies, but it repeats earlier details and ends abruptly with “small in,” leaving the comparison incomplete. Linking is also limited: repeated sentence openings such as “In second company” and “The staff turnover” make the writing mechanical, while “But” does not clearly connect the figures that follow. Grouping related comparisons—for example, workforce size and age in one paragraph, then turnover and income in another—would improve organisation and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a small set of relevant terms, including “staff turnover,” “high income bracket,” “male,” and “female,” which allows the reader to recognise the categories in the table. However, vocabulary is repetitive and often imprecise, with “staff,” “company,” and “high number” used repeatedly instead of more varied language for comparisons. Phrases such as “the total staff member” and “the members is 72” are not natural ways to describe workforce size, and “average” is unclear when no average is given. Some wording also obscures the data category: “under 55” does not accurately express the table’s “over 55s.” Use precise terms such as “employees,” “workforce,” “proportion,” and “highest/lowest share” to make comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most sentences use a simple subject-and-figure pattern, and this helps convey some information, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are repeated agreement and article errors, as in “The table show” and “the total staff member is 56,” as well as incomplete or poorly joined clauses: “But 30% female and 70%male” has no finite verb. Punctuation is also unreliable, with missing spaces after full stops and several figures joined into long strings. The final sentence is unfinished, which further affects clarity. Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, for example, “The first company employs 56 people, 70% of whom are women.” Varying sentence patterns while checking agreement and punctuation would make the data easier to understand.

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