Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-20

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 Sir,

I am writing to apply for teaching position, which I learned about through advertisement.

I believe I would be suitable because my qualification is P.hd in language. In addition, I have a experience of five years teaching in school as well as home tutor.

I am particularly interested in this opportunity because I enjoy and have passion to teach children and prepare them not to forget their roots.

I would be available from Monday to fridays at 7pm, as well as I can give teach other languages like Hindi,French and punjabi and I am happy to provide any further information if required.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Simratpreet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points: suitability, additional help, and reasons for applying. However, the letter is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which severely impacts the development of ideas. The points are mentioned but lack the necessary detail and elaboration required for a higher band. For instance, the explanation of suitability is very brief, and the reasons for wanting the job are not fully explored. To improve, you must expand on your points by providing specific examples or scenarios, ensuring you meet the word count requirement to allow for a more comprehensive response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used, though the paragraphs are quite short due to the limited length of the text. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'In addition' and 'as well as', but they are somewhat repetitive and basic. The flow of ideas is generally easy to follow, but the lack of depth makes the progression feel somewhat mechanical. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph contains a well-developed central idea that connects smoothly to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite simple and repetitive. Phrases like 'teaching position' and 'enjoy and have passion' are functional but lack sophistication. There are some minor errors, such as 'P.hd' (should be PhD) and 'a experience' (should be 'an experience'). To achieve a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise and varied vocabulary related to professional settings, such as 'pedagogical expertise', 'cultural heritage', or 'facilitate language acquisition', rather than relying on basic descriptive terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that detract from the quality, such as 'I have a experience' (article error), 'give teach' (incorrect verb usage), and 'Monday to fridays' (capitalization error). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct article usage. Incorporating more varied complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, would also help demonstrate better grammatical control.

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

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