Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11

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)

Heno Sir/madam,

I hope you are doing well, I have seen in advertisement on Television that you are hiring for people who are intrestade to do part time voluntary work at the museum.

I am reall passinate about to join this work. I know that I can not get money to working here, It is unpaid work. However, I want to join it because it will build my knowledge and experience. I was working in public library as a voluntore. Therefore, I have a quit of knowledge about it.

I have a skill that how to handle a people, when it is too much crowd. Give a direction, good nature that I have. Although, it is a part time work, I am available everyday in the afternoon.

I will appreciate you, If you give me a chance to do a voluntary in museum. I will definetly do a best work here.

your faithfully,

Keyu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for volunteering, relevant skills, and availability. However, the development of these points is quite limited. For instance, the explanation of skills is vague, mentioning 'how to handle a people' and 'good nature' without providing concrete examples or professional context. The tone is also inconsistent with a formal application letter, starting with 'Heno' instead of 'Dear'. While the purpose is clear, the content lacks the depth and professional polish expected for a formal request to a museum director, keeping it at a lower band level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate. For example, 'Therefore, I have a quit of knowledge about it' and 'Although, it is a part time work' show a struggle with logical connectors. The transition between ideas is often abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun usage in the second paragraph. While the overall progression is logical, the lack of sophisticated linking words limits the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and contains several spelling errors, such as 'intrestade' (interested), 'passinate' (passionate), 'voluntore' (volunteer), and 'definetly' (definitely). The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on simple, repetitive structures. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'I have a skill that how to handle a people' and 'do a voluntary'. These errors occasionally impede the reader's understanding. To improve, you should focus on learning correct spelling and more natural collocations for professional correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout, including subject-verb agreement issues ('I have seen in advertisement'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing ('I am reall passinate about to join this work'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with comma splices and incorrect capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the text from reaching a higher band. You need to focus on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors.

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

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