Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sarah,

I hope this letter finds you well , actually I am writing this letter to let you know that I have recently left my job as a sals agent in the phonyx company

I certainly need your help to find a new work that suits my situation , therefor I would tell you some of my preferences , firstly , I prefer to be a part time or a remote work , it gives me more time to take care of my kids

In addition , the workplace should be near a public transport station to avoid any lates

Finally , I would ask you to suggest for me several offers that matches my skills on marketing and sales or websites to apply make sur that I am ready for any job interviews or meetings withe human resources manager

You will find my cv joined with this letter

Yours ,

Ahlam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the three requested points: you explain that you have left your sales job, describe preferences for part-time or remote work and a workplace near public transport, and ask Sarah to suggest vacancies or websites. These details make the letter relevant and give your friend a clear idea of what you need. However, the reason for leaving is not explained beyond saying you have left, and the job description is somewhat brief. The request for help is also phrased as a list of possibilities rather than a clear, personal appeal. Add a specific reason for changing jobs and explain what kind of role would suit your marketing and sales experience to develop the response more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a generally sensible order: you announce the job change, describe your preferences, and then ask Sarah for assistance. Connectors such as “In addition” and “Finally” help signal the progression, and the greeting and sign-off suit a friendly letter. However, most of the content is presented in one long block, so the separate purposes are not visually clear. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the sequence “firstly,” “In addition,” and “Finally,” and the final sentence combines several requests without clear boundaries. Use short paragraphs for the explanation, job preferences, and request, and divide the final sentence so each idea is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “part time,” “remote work,” “public transport,” “skills,” and “job interviews.” This is enough to communicate the main preferences and request. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “sals agent,” “phonyx company,” “lates,” and “offers that matches.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “find a new work,” “suggest for me several offers,” and “cv joined with this letter.” These choices sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Aim for standard job-search collocations, such as “find a new position,” “recommend vacancies,” and “my CV is attached,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, for example, “I certainly need your help to find a new work that suits my situation” and the sentence explaining that remote work would give you more time with your children. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. In “offers that matches,” the verb should agree with the plural noun; “it gives me” also has an unclear reference, since the subject could be part-time work or remote work. Several sentences run together without appropriate punctuation, especially the final request. Use clearer sentence boundaries, check subject–verb agreement, and make pronoun references explicit to improve control.

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

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