Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-31
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 just heard the new that you are looking for workers in your museum for internship. Your museum is located near to my home and I very glad to be a part of your museum to work at your place. I just give my secondary senior education exam and now I am free because now it is summer vacation and I am free to work at your place.
I want this voluntary work at the museum because I have keen interest in history and I like to be a part of your museum and I can gain more knowledge about history.
I am active, young, mature person and able to do my work at time. The task that you will give me I will complete them on time. As I told you that I am also good in history it will easy for me to understand history of the museum.
My summer vacation had just started and I will be at you place when you or your team invite me for interview.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: the motivation for volunteering, personal skills, and availability. However, the development of these points is somewhat basic. For example, the explanation of why you want to volunteer is repetitive, and the description of skills is limited to a list of adjectives ('active, young, mature') without specific examples or context. To improve, you should expand on how your interest in history or your personal qualities would specifically benefit the museum's operations. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the opening is slightly informal.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'I am' and 'I will'. The transition between ideas is functional but lacks sophistication. For instance, the connection between your availability and the interview request in the final paragraph is a bit abrupt. Using a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition to this') would improve the flow and logical progression of your arguments.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic words like 'good', 'work', and 'place'. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'I just heard the new' (should be 'news') and 'secondary senior education exam'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more specific terminology related to volunteering and professional environments, such as 'gaining practical experience', 'contributing to the community', or 'possessing a strong work ethic'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'I very glad' (missing verb), 'near to my home' (should be 'near my home'), and 'do my work at time' (should be 'on time'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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