Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-19
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 5.0)
A museum near my home is looking for people to do part time voluntary unpaid task.I would like to do some unpaid task at the museum.
By understanding the given statement,museum has vacancies to give jobs for people to do unpaid work.
I would write a letter to the director of museum to apply for voluntary/unpaid work.
By understanding the context of given statement,I want to do unpaid work at museum because I want to gain the experience of museum work. I will become experienced by guiding the visitors and answering the questions of visitors.I want to bear the difficulties of this journey to take experience. I want to do unpaid work because I want to gain the knowledge of historical things.
I have some special skills and qualities, I have clear voice and I have a sense of thinking quickly. I am very clever. .
I will available for work after applying for this work. I will wear the special uniform of of museum at the time of work.When you come to museum, you should ask about recently applied man.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points, but the development is weak and repetitive. The introduction is unnecessary as it repeats the prompt instructions rather than stating the purpose of the letter. While you explain why you want to volunteer and mention your skills, the ideas are underdeveloped. For instance, stating 'I am very clever' is vague and lacks the professional tone required for a formal application. The availability section is also unclear, as 'after applying' does not provide specific dates or times. To improve, focus on providing concrete details and maintaining a professional tone throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter lacks a clear structure. The paragraphs are not well-defined, and the flow of ideas is disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas together; for example, the transition between your skills and your availability is abrupt. The use of referencing is also problematic, such as the confusing instruction at the end: 'When you come to museum, you should ask about recently applied man.' This makes the letter difficult to follow. Using linking words like 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'in addition' would help improve the logical progression of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. You frequently use the word 'work' and 'unpaid' without much variation. Some word choices are unnatural or inappropriate for a formal letter, such as 'bear the difficulties of this journey' and 'recently applied man.' There are also issues with collocation, such as 'give jobs for people.' To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise, professional vocabulary related to volunteering and museum environments, and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. You struggle with article usage ('the museum' vs 'museum'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. For example, 'I will available for work' is missing a verb, and 'uniform of of museum' contains a repetition error. The punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and periods. While you attempt some simple sentences, there is a lack of complex structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for missing verbs and articles will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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