Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my sincere interest in voluntary work at the Mississauga Museum. It is quite near my house and convenient to travel to for temporary work.

I have been working as an office administrator in the clinic; however, I have a great opportunity to do unpaid work in a local museum for the benefit of the community. Moreover, I am inclined to do some extra work that can provide me with life satisfaction.

In addition, I have completed my higher education in a social work program, including four months of induction training at a prestigious community service centre. Another reason is the skills and qualities that I have: communication skills, co-operation with others, and dealing with clients in a professional manner. I think it would be greatly useful while working with co-workers and individuals.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could consider my application for this opportunity. I will start my job next week on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I look forward to your positive response promptly.

Yours faithfully,

Suman Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all three key bullet points required by the task prompt. The writer explains the motivation for doing voluntary work by mentioning proximity to the home and personal satisfaction. Relevant skills and qualities are also included, such as communication skills and professional handling of clients. Finally, availability is mentioned, stating work can begin next week on weekends. The response fully satisfies the requirements of the lower band while showing elements of the next by addressing all aspects clearly. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed; for instance, the explanation of availability could have provided more specific details regarding the duration or exact scheduling preferences beyond just weekends, which keeps the development at a moderate level rather than fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction of purpose to reasons, skills, availability, and a polite closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each distinct point of the letter. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'Another reason is' are utilized to guide the reader through the text, though referencing and transition management are at times somewhat mechanical rather than fully flexible. The progression is clear throughout, meeting the standard for the lower band while demonstrating the organisational clarity expected in a well-structured formal letter, even if the cohesive links occasionally feel slightly formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the message with a reasonable range of functional words. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items such as 'induction training', 'prestigious community service centre', and 'professional manner'. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'convenient to travel to for temporary work' or 'provide me with life satisfaction', which sound slightly unnatural. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the intent, fitting the profile of an adequate lexical range with some minor limitations in precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response features a good variety of sentence structures, mixing simple and complex forms effectively. The writer demonstrates control over complex clauses, as seen in sentences like 'I would greatly appreciate it if you could consider my application for this opportunity.' There are frequent error-free sentences throughout the text, showing good overall command of grammar and punctuation. While a few minor slips occur, such as the tense usage in 'I will start my job next week' where a modal indicating conditional willingness or preference might be more suitable for an application, these errors rarely impede communication and the punctuation is well managed.

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

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