Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-08

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I saw your advertisement in The Times of India newspaper in which you are looking for some part-time volunteers for your museum. I would like to participate for a voluntary/unpaid work. Recently, I completed my master's in history, and I am looking for an opportunity to join some social volunteer work.

I believe this can be great choice for me, as I have some skills and abilities that can be advantageous for this role, like guiding tourists and visitors, maintaining official records and show my knowledge for the sculptures and art pieces in your museum.

However, the museum is approximately 1.2 kilometres away from my residence, I can commute by public transport. I can start my work as soon as possible right after your confirmation.

Looking forward to your response

your faithfully

ishika tandon

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you explain your interest through your history degree and wish to volunteer, mention relevant abilities, and state that you can begin after confirmation. However, the skills are listed rather than illustrated, and your availability is not specific: “as soon as possible” does not say which days or hours you can work. The distance from your home and transport arrangements are less relevant than a clear schedule. The response is also 12 words below the required minimum, so there is limited space to develop your reasons and suitability. Add a specific weekly timetable and one or two details about how your studies or experience would help museum visitors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally clear order: you refer to the advertisement, explain your interest, describe skills, and finish with availability. This makes the main message easy to follow. The paragraphing is limited, however, and the transition “However” does not express a contrast between the preceding skills and your travel arrangements. The final lines also need clearer separation and conventional letter formatting. To improve the progression, use distinct paragraphs for your motivation, relevant abilities, and availability, and connect each point with a suitable transition. A more direct closing sentence would also make the ending feel complete and professional.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the application, including “part-time volunteers,” “maintaining official records,” and “sculptures and art pieces.” These choices communicate relevant skills, and the meaning remains clear. Some phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “participate for a voluntary/unpaid work,” “social volunteer work,” and “show my knowledge for.” The repeated use of “work” also limits variety. Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms for museum duties—for example, assisting visitors, cataloguing collections, or sharing knowledge about exhibits. This would make your application sound more fluent and appropriately formal without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and the reader can understand your main points. For instance, the sentence beginning “I believe this can be…” combines your assessment of the role with a list of abilities. Some grammatical errors remain: “this can be great choice” needs an article, and “maintaining official records and show my knowledge” does not keep the verb forms parallel. The sentence beginning “However, the museum is approximately…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. The closing also needs conventional capitalization and punctuation. Review articles, parallel structures, and sentence boundaries; these corrections would improve accuracy while preserving your clear message.

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

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