Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-27

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 Sir/Madam,

I am writing to the museum director to apply for the voluntary/unpaid work.

First, I would like to explain why I want to do voluntary/unpaid work at the museum. I want to study about the museum and I am interesting about history. I think this work to meet new people and study useful.

In addition, I would like to describe some skills and qualities I have that would be useful. I am friendly and hard working, I ready study new things. I can help visitor and give they information about museum.

Finally, I would like to give detail of when I would be available for work. I available for work on weekend, especially on Friday and Saturday in the morning. I can work from 8 a.m - 11 p.m . I can ready to do when they need.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Your faithfully.

Nhi.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address all three requested points: you explain your interest in history, mention being friendly and hardworking, and give possible working times. However, each point is only briefly covered, and some details are unclear—for example, “I want to study about the museum” does not explain what attracts you to this particular role. Your availability also needs clarification: “Friday and Saturday in the morning” is followed by “8 a.m - 11 p.m,” which suggests a much longer shift. The response contains 132 words, so it is 18 words below the required minimum; the 20 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Add relevant detail about your motivation, experience or suitability, and precise hours to develop the application more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement, with separate paragraphs for your motivation, qualities and availability. The sequence is easy to follow, and signposting such as “First,” “In addition,” and “Finally” helps the reader identify each point. However, these transitions feel somewhat mechanical because each paragraph repeats the task wording rather than developing a natural letter. Some connections between ideas are also unclear, particularly “I think this work to meet new people and study useful.” Use more natural links and connect each reason to the next—for example, explain how meeting visitors would help you learn about the museum. A more conventional closing and sign-off would also make the letter feel complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a small set of relevant words, including “history,” “friendly,” “hard working,” and “visitor,” so the reader can understand the general subject and your intended qualities. However, the vocabulary is limited and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate, which makes some ideas difficult to interpret. For instance, “study about the museum” and “study useful” do not express your meaning naturally, while “give they information” uses an unsuitable form. Try to use precise phrases for museum work, such as assisting visitors, answering questions, or sharing information about exhibits. A wider range of accurate expressions would help you explain your motivation and suitability more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your response relies mainly on short, simple sentences and repeated sentence openings, so it shows a limited range of structures. There are frequent errors in basic sentence formation and verb patterns, as in “I am interesting about history,” “I ready study new things,” and “I available for work.” The sentence “I am friendly and hard working, I ready study new things” also joins two independent ideas with only a comma. These errors sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. Practise complete clauses with a subject and correctly formed verb, and check articles, prepositions and punctuation. For example, “I am available to work on Fridays and Saturdays” gives a clear, accurate model.

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

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