Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-17

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 Paramjit,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to help me to find a new job.

As you know right now I am working as a Physiotherapist in a clinic. Now I gain so much experience. As i agree with them for 1 year. But they dont have staff . Therefore I decide to extend work here for 6 months. Another reason is I dont get a salary on time. Overall, I dont want to stay at a home for one day. Therefore I am looking for a new job.

As I completed my experience in clinic. Now I want to gain my experience in the hospital. Because I want to acknowledge about various departments such as ICU, OPD, General Ward, Neuro Department. I believe it will help me in future for further opportunities.

If anyone knows you or if online, any teacher tell you about vacancy. Please inform me. I will be very thankful to you. Thank you for your time.

Yours lovingly,

Rajandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully explain why you are looking for a new job, stating that you have gained enough experience at the clinic, face issues with management and staffing, and experience delayed salary payments. You also describe the kind of job you would like to have by mentioning your goal to work in a hospital setting and gain exposure to specialized departments like the ICU, OPD, and Neuro Department. Finally, you ask your friend for help by requesting them to inform you of any vacancies. While some ideas are slightly repetitive and lack full development, all parts of the task are addressed appropriately for a General Training Task 1 letter, earning a solid band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter maintains a recognizable structure with an appropriate greeting ('Dear Paramjit,') and sign-off ('Yours lovingly,'). Paragraphing is attempted, grouping related ideas together, such as the reasons for leaving and the future job expectations. However, the logical progression between sentences is sometimes disjointed due to abrupt transitions and mechanical cohesive devices like 'Therefore' and 'As'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'If anyone knows you or if online, any teacher tell you about vacancy'. Overall, the organization is coherent enough for easy reading, but the cohesion needs smoother linking to reach a higher band, fitting a band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to clearly communicate your situation and goals as a Physiotherapist. You use some relevant professional terms such as 'Physiotherapist', 'ICU', 'OPD', 'General Ward', and 'Neuro Department'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Now I gain so much experience', 'As i agree with them for 1 year', and 'want to acknowledge about various departments'. Furthermore, spelling and phrasing errors like 'stay at a home' slightly distract the reader, though they do not impede overall communication. These features align well with the band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over basic structures. However, your writing contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding tense consistency, preposition usage, and sentence fragmentation. Examples include 'Now I gain so much experience', 'As I completed my experience in clinic', and 'If anyone knows you or if online, any teacher tell you about vacancy'. These errors often result in awkward phrasing and strain the reader's understanding at times. Because complex structures are frequently faulty and errors are recurrent throughout the text, a band 5.0 accurately reflects your current grammatical performance.

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

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