Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-02

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 Mr. Director,

Hopefully, you and your family are doing well. I am writing you this letter I heared your that museum are looking for part-time voluntary or unpaid worker. It's a pleasant for me to volunter my ability to help museum for the work force needed.

I have an experience from my previous company as a an Human Resourse Manager. In this regards, I can help museum for the beautification and to improve the organization in the human resourse department. I been doing a task on my present company to implement the job request from the top management in every department. Gather information or report from respective department head and prepare summary to tackle those problem to the top management.

I am glad to here you and feedback on my this application. My availability for your convencience is Monday to Saturday at 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Best regards,

Richard

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, as you successfully mention why you want to volunteer, outline your background as a Human Resources Manager, and provide your availability. However, these ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For example, while you state your desire to help with the workforce and beautification, the explanation lacks depth and specific details about why you are drawn to this particular museum. Furthermore, the greeting 'Dear Mr. Director' shows a slight misunderstanding of the conventional formal opening requested in the task. To move up to a higher band, you would need to extend your ideas with fuller explanations and clearer support for each bullet point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic logical organization to your letter, dividing the introduction, main body points, and conclusion into separate paragraphs. However, overall progression is hindered by awkward transitions and mechanical or missing cohesive devices. For instance, moving abruptly from your background to 'I been doing a task on my present company' creates a disjointed flow. Pronoun referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'to tackle those problem to the top management' where the connection to the previous sentence is loose. To achieve a stronger level of cohesion, you need to use a wider range of linking words more naturally and ensure your sentences flow smoothly from one idea to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task, but it features a limited range and noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are several spelling and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the letter, such as 'heared', 'volunter', 'convencience', and 'Human Resourse'. You also attempt some less common terms like 'beautification', but inaccurate collocations such as 'help museum for the beautification' restrict your lexical score. To improve this area, you should focus on expanding your control of common collocations, improving your spelling accuracy, and avoiding repetitive phrasing when discussing your professional background.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside attempts at complex forms that contain frequent errors. There are notable issues with verb tenses, auxiliary verbs, and prepositions inside grammatical patterns, such as 'I am writing you this letter I heared your that museum are looking', 'I have an experience', and 'I am glad to here you and feedback on my this application'. These frequent grammatical errors cause some strain and difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, you must demonstrate better control over basic sentence construction, improve your subject-verb agreement, and minimize errors in your verb forms.

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

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