Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-07

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A museum near your home is looking for people to do part-time voluntary/unpaid work. You would like to do some voluntary/unpaid work at the museum. Write a letter to the museum director to apply for the voluntary/unpaid work. In your letter

• explain why you want to do voluntary/unpaid work at the museum
• describe some skills and qualities you have that would be useful
• give details of when you would be available for work

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to apply for the voluntary position at community museum for the upcoming summer. I have been serving in the military for the last 20 years as a maintenance technician for airplanes and I retired last month.

As in our community museum, we have former air crafts from the World War era and it needs to be kept clean and well maintained. Thus, I believe I would be the suitable candidate for this voluntary job and my skills can be used further for the community museum and its maintenance. Moreover, I can also be able to contribute financial aid for a required upgrades in the museum.

Lastly, my availability is for the weekends and in weekdays I will be able to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I hope you will find this letter good and looking forward for your response on this job application.

Yours Sincerely,

Tim Cook

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points effectively. You clearly explain your motivation, highlight your relevant background as a maintenance technician, and specify your availability. The tone is appropriate for a formal application. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, while you mention your military background, you could have elaborated more on how specific maintenance skills (e.g., precision, safety protocols) would translate to museum artifact care. Additionally, the offer of financial aid is slightly unusual for a volunteer position and could be perceived as a misunderstanding of the role. Overall, the task is fulfilled, but more depth in the description of skills would elevate the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'Lastly' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between your military background and the museum's needs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the phrasing 'As in our community museum' is slightly awkward and impacts the natural progression of the argument. Overall, the organization is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'voluntary position', 'maintenance technician', and 'candidate'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'former air crafts' (should be 'historic aircraft') and 'contribute financial aid for a required upgrades' (should be 'contribute financially toward required upgrades'). While these errors do not impede communication, they show a lack of precision in collocation. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary related to professional environments and ensuring that word forms (singular/plural) are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I can also be able to' (redundant modal usage), 'in weekdays' (should be 'on weekdays'), and 'for a required upgrades' (article/pluralization error). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. Your control over basic sentence structures is good, but you need to improve your accuracy with prepositions and modal verbs to achieve a higher score. More attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage would also be beneficial.

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

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