Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have seen an advertisement from a couple, who live in Australia, for someone to teach their two children your language for a year. Write a letter to the couple. In your letter

• explain why you think you would be suitable for the job
• say what else you could do for the family
• give your reasons for wanting the job

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear .................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Parents,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to show my interest for your published advertisement to teach your two children my language for a year.

To begin with, i have over five years of volunteer experience working closely with the children at the kinder garden school. Observing kids and making simple schedule for their playtime and arranging activities to make them involved. In addition, i was awarded by the school management for the best volunteer award. Moreover, i speak four languages which makes me best candidate for this role.

Secondly, i have 2 years cooking experience which will help in making the variety of food for your children's. Furthermore, this summer the school has been closed for the vacation and i am really interested to work in Australia and gain international experience.

In addition,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: suitability, additional help, and reasons for applying. However, the response is incomplete, ending abruptly with 'In addition,' and failing to reach the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the conclusion is missing and the points are somewhat brief. To improve, ensure you fully develop each paragraph and provide a proper closing to the letter. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, but the lack of completion prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter uses basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'In addition,' and 'Furthermore' to organize ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, but the abrupt ending disrupts the logical flow of the text. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the lack of a concluding paragraph makes the overall structure feel unfinished. To improve, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that the letter concludes with a standard closing phrase, such as 'Yours sincerely,' to provide a sense of completion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'making simple schedule' and 'making the variety of food' are slightly unnatural. There are also minor errors, such as 'kinder garden' (kindergarten) and 'children's' (children). While the range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, the use of more sophisticated collocations would enhance the quality of the writing. Focus on using more precise verbs and avoiding repetitive sentence structures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including the failure to capitalize the personal pronoun 'i' throughout the text, and issues with article usage (e.g., 'the children at the kinder garden school'). Subject-verb agreement and pluralization are also inconsistent, such as 'making the variety of food for your children's'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency and accuracy of the letter.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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