Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-01

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to apply for a volunteer position at your museum. I am interested in doing some unpaid work because I would like to gain new experience and meet new people on a daily basis. However, I also believe that working in a local museum is beneficial for my local community.

I would like to mention some skills that I have for this role, such as communication skills and customer service. In addition, I am comfortable working with people of all ages. Secondly, I am good at dealing with all customer problems because I am quite friendly and responsible.

I would love to join your team this coming summer because I have a study break, so I should work during that time to gain valuable experience. I can work any time during the day except at night because I have to read for my higher studies.

I would be truly grateful if you could consider my application. Hope to get a positive response from your side regarding unpaid work at the museum.

Yours faithfully,

Kevin Gohil

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt, addressing each bullet point directly and thoroughly. You clearly explain your motivation for wanting to do voluntary work, such as gaining experience and helping the community. You also describe useful skills like communication and customer service, and provide specific availability details, noting your summer study break and daily scheduling preferences. Your purpose is evident from the beginning, maintaining a clear tone throughout. To achieve an even higher score, some of these ideas could be extended further with more specific details or examples, such as describing past experiences related to customer service rather than just stating you have the skill.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your letter shows a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are grouped sensibly into paragraphs, with each paragraph serving a distinct purpose corresponding to the prompt requirements. You use a range of cohesive devices reasonably well, such as transitional phrases like 'However', 'In addition', and 'Secondly', though referencing could occasionally be smoother. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, moving cleanly from your opening statement to your reasons, skills, availability, and closing remarks. To push towards the highest levels, you could ensure that cohesive devices are used even more flexibly and subtly without relying on standard sequence markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating your message with words like 'beneficial', 'responsible', and 'application'. You make some attempts at less common vocabulary, but there are noticeable limitations in lexical precision and word choice. For instance, phrases like 'read for my higher studies' sound slightly unnatural in this context, and you occasionally repeat words like 'experience' and 'work'. Minor spelling or word-choice errors are present, though they do not impede communication. Expanding your repertoire of idiomatic expressions and precise collocations will help you convey your thoughts with greater stylistic flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter features a satisfactory mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating decent control over your sentence structures. You successfully construct complex sentences using relative clauses and subordinate conjunctions, such as 'I am writing this letter to apply for a volunteer position at your museum' and 'I would be truly grateful if you could consider my application.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with modal verbs and prepositions, such as 'so I should work during that time' instead of a more suitable modal, but these errors rarely impede communication. To reach the next level, you should aim for a higher frequency of error-free complex sentences and finer control over article usage.

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

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