Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-14
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/ Madam ,
I am writing in response to show my keen interest to work at the North York Museum as a part-time voluntary.
I am a under-graduate student at University of Boston, and recently moved to North York for my semester break at my grandparents . As I do not know many people in the city ,working with people can really help me to connect and make new friends.In addition, I want to help the local community to grow and this seems like a good opportunity .
Interestingly, my two major subjects in college were History and Arts, the knowledge and experience can really help me in the position at the site.However, I can also help with the basics chores like Cleaning , sorting of data or guiding the visitors .
About my availability , I can work from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 6 pm , Saturday's are exceptional . However , I can not work on Sundays because of my private concern.
I would be happy to help and look forward for the prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
Simran
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The letter covers all three bullet points effectively. You clearly explain your motivation for volunteering, which is to connect with the local community and gain experience. You also describe your relevant background in History and Arts, and provide specific availability details. The tone is appropriate for a formal application. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, you could elaborate on how your specific knowledge of History and Arts would benefit the museum's visitors. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a clear purpose throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition' and 'However' to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is slightly inconsistent, and some transitions feel a bit mechanical. To improve, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single theme and use a wider variety of linking words to improve the flow between sentences. The referencing is generally clear, and the letter follows a standard formal structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'keen interest', 'under-graduate', and 'opportunity'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'voluntary' (which is an adjective or noun referring to a person, but 'volunteer' is the standard noun for the role) and 'basics chores' (should be 'basic chores'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more precise collocations or less common lexical items would help elevate the score. The spelling is generally accurate throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'a under-graduate' (should be 'an'), 'Saturday's are exceptional' (incorrect use of apostrophe), and 'look forward for' (should be 'look forward to'). Punctuation is occasionally inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and periods. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and consistent punctuation, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures to demonstrate greater control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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