Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have decided to look for a new job.

Write a letter to a friend. In your letter
• explain why you are looking for a new job.
• describe the kind of job you would like to have.
• ask your friend to help you find a job

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sam,

I hope you are doing well! I am writing this letter to catch up with you, since we have not talked in a long time. Moreover, I also need a favour from you. I am lookin for a full-time job nowadays, as last job where I worked was temporary. Owing to the completion of contract, I am jobless and struggling to fulfill my expences.

I have a prior retail store manager experience, so it would be great if you could find jobs related to it. I am flexible to work any shift, although a fixed schedule would be perfectly suit me. I would be satisfied with any amount of salary as long as it would be more than current minimum-wage.

Because you work for a bank, I am sure you know a good range of employers. I would extremely appreciate if you would be willing to provide some refernces, so I would get an employment. If you are free this weekend, why do not we meet?. This would also allow us to meet and talk that we used to do, after a long time.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Manish

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requirements clearly. You explain that your previous role was temporary and that the contract ended, describe the retail store manager work you are seeking, and ask Sam for help by requesting employer contacts and references. The reason for changing jobs is relevant, and the details about shift flexibility and salary make your preferences more specific. The request for help is also supported by Sam’s work at a bank. To make the ideas more fully developed, clarify whether you are seeking another retail management position specifically or would consider other roles, and state more directly what kind of assistance you hope Sam can provide.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: you open with a friendly greeting, explain your circumstances, describe your preferred work, and then make a request before closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and linking phrases such as “Moreover,” “Owing to,” and “Because” make relationships between ideas clear. The tone is appropriate for a friend. Some connections are less smooth or repetitive: “I am writing this letter to catch up with you” is followed by a separate request, while the final paragraph repeats the idea of meeting after a long time. You could make the flow more natural by moving directly from the job search to the specific help you need, and ending with one concise invitation to meet.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the situation, including “temporary,” “completion of contract,” “fixed schedule,” and “employers.” These choices communicate the main points, and the friendly register suits a letter to a friend. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “a good range of employers,” “provide some references,” and “get an employment.” There are also spelling errors in “lookin,” “expences,” and “refernces.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for familiar, accurate combinations such as “a range of employers,” “provide a reference,” and “find a job,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “as,” “although,” and “Because,” and the message remains clear throughout. Some grammatical errors are present, particularly in verb patterns and sentence construction. For example, “would be perfectly suit me” should be “would suit me perfectly,” and “why do not we meet?” should be “why don’t we meet?” The phrase “I would extremely appreciate if” also needs a grammatical adjustment, such as “I would greatly appreciate it if.” Punctuation is occasionally awkward, especially the full stop after the question mark in “meet?.” Review modal verb patterns and punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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

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