Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-28

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 Deval,

I am writing to tell you about I looking for new opportunity because at my current job i had reach my limitation there is no more growing opportunity here, no promotion because they used references to get upper position. I have decided to switch my job and I also clear my technicians exam so now I can works as pharmacy technicians instead of assistant I am exploring new opportunity in north side because they also give better pay compare to here . Mainly the value the rather then using people opinions to promote there employee . I remember that you had a great network over that side because you graduated from that university

so I was hoping that you can able to help me to a land a good job in pharmacies

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: explaining the reason for leaving, describing the desired job, and asking for help. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The explanation for leaving is somewhat repetitive, and the description of the desired role could be more detailed to fully satisfy the task requirements. Because the response is under-length, it fails to fully develop the points, resulting in a lower score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter lacks paragraphing, which makes the text appear as a single block. While there is a logical flow from the reason for leaving to the request for help, the lack of cohesive devices and clear paragraph breaks makes the progression feel mechanical. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'they also give better pay compare to here', where the antecedent for 'they' is ambiguous. Better use of linking words and clear paragraph structure would significantly improve the readability and coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for a personal letter but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'reach my limitation' instead of 'reached my limit' and 'clear my technicians exam' instead of 'passed my technician's exam'. The phrasing is often simplistic, and there is a lack of variety in the language used to describe professional goals. To improve, you should focus on using more accurate collocations related to employment and career progression.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'I looking for new opportunity' (missing auxiliary verb), 'I can works' (incorrect verb form), and 'you can able to help me' (redundant modal verbs). There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage is essential.

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

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