Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-23

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)

Dear sir/madam

I am writing this to let you know that i can work at your museum without any profit.

Well, I have a lot of spare time because am here in city from holidays because it is my hometown. I have lot of time near about three months and i also want to learn new things and want to spend my time.

I think you need people how can talk to people in public and i want to say that i have good public speaking skills. As well as i know about the museum beacuse this is in my hometown i went there lot of time.

So i want to let you know that i can start from whenever you want and just let me know when i can visit at your place.

your sincerely

Sam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for volunteering, relevant skills, and availability. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the development of ideas. The explanation of why you want to volunteer is quite brief, and the description of skills is somewhat vague. To improve, you should expand on your motivation and provide more specific examples of your public speaking experience or your familiarity with the museum's exhibits. Because the response is under-length, it fails to fully develop the required points, resulting in a lower score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'Well,' and 'So' are used in a way that feels informal and slightly disjointed. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas between sentences. To improve, try using a wider variety of transition signals such as 'Furthermore,' 'In addition,' or 'Consequently' to create a smoother flow between your paragraphs and ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. For instance, the word 'time' is used four times in the second paragraph alone. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'without any profit' instead of 'voluntary' or 'unpaid,' and 'in city' instead of 'in the city.' The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. You should aim to use more precise terminology related to volunteering and professional communication to enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('in city', 'in my hometown'), incorrect verb forms ('am here' instead of 'I am here'), and punctuation issues (e.g., 'Dear sir/madam' should be capitalized). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with very few attempts at complex sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and proper sentence structure will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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