Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-27

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I feel delight to inform you that I want to voluntary work in museum which is not far away from my home. There are several reasons to do this work. First and foremost is that kind hearted and cooperative nature. I feel over the moon when i help of people which useful for me to gain inner peace. Moreover, I have great interest to know about ancient time, so I always use technical resources and books to gain vast information about it.

I think that some of skills and qualities have me which would be help in museum. First of all, I am good in art which skill is effective to get attractive individuals to go to in museum. I draw every kind of pictures and also write history below the pictures due to also perfect in handwriting. Honestly, I am good speaker and speak in front of anyone without any hestiation that is beneficial to tell information to people of history behind pictures.

I do work so I am available Saturday and Sunday full time. I think it is best time for you give me this job as on these days museum are full due to people free from their busy schedule.

Yours faithfully,

Gurpreet

y,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: the motivation for volunteering, relevant skills, and availability. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'I feel delight to inform you' is slightly unnatural. The ideas are relevant, such as the interest in history and the ability to draw and speak publicly. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited by grammatical inaccuracies, which occasionally obscure the intended meaning, such as in the second paragraph regarding the applicant's skills. Overall, the task is addressed, but the expression of ideas could be more precise to fully meet the requirements of a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on one of the required points. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the specific skills and finally the availability. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'First and foremost', 'Moreover', and 'First of all', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'I do work so I am available'. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by grammatical errors, which makes the text feel slightly disjointed in places.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks sophistication. There are some attempts at more complex phrases, such as 'over the moon' and 'inner peace', though 'over the moon' is an idiom that is perhaps too informal for a formal application letter. There are also some word choice errors, such as 'attractive individuals to go to in museum' (likely meaning 'attract visitors') and 'I feel delight' (should be 'I am delighted'). While the meaning is generally clear, the range is limited, and the errors in collocation prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'I want to voluntary work' (should be 'volunteer'), 'some of skills and qualities have me' (should be 'I possess some skills'), and 'due to people free from their busy schedule' (missing a verb). These errors are noticeable and sometimes impede the flow of reading. While the meaning is usually understandable, the lack of control over basic sentence construction and verb forms limits the score in this category.

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

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