Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-04

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 5.0)

Dear Aryan,

Hope you are doing well. How is uncle and aunt and what about Ishani and Karan. What is Aman doing nowadays?Hopefully they are also fine..I am writing this letter to seek help from you regarding me finding a job because as you also know that I am new in Canada and i want to start becoming financially independent from my parents side and you have been living here for a great time. The job can be of any type, I can work in a store, or even as a janitor for my expenses. So please do the needful for me and it would be a great favour if you help me in my struggle time.Hoping a positive response from you and i promise to give back your favour when i will be able to do so...

Yours Yashveer

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response responds to the task only minimally, and importantly, the length requirement is not met as the text is ten words short of the one hundred and fifty-word minimum. Regarding the bullet points, you mention that you are new in Canada and want to be financially independent, which covers why you are looking for a job. You also briefly mention store work or being a janitor, addressing the kind of job you would like, and you ask for help. However, these ideas are very limited and under-developed, and the tone is somewhat overly informal for a well-rounded letter. To improve, you must write at least the minimum required word count and expand much more fully on your ideas, providing richer details about your job preferences and background.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The letter shows some basic organisation, but there is no clear overall progression and the layout lacks proper paragraphing, as the entire body of the letter is written as one dense block of text instead of using clear paragraphs for each point. Cohesive devices are minimal, inadequate, and sometimes repetitive, relying heavily on basic conjunctions like 'and' and run-on structures. For example, sentences such as 'What is Aman doing nowadays?Hopefully they are also fine..I am writing this letter...' lack smooth transitions and show faulty referencing and punctuation. To reach a higher band, you need to divide your letter into logical paragraphs and use a wider, more accurate range of cohesive devices to connect your ideas smoothly and guide the reader clearly from one point to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is limited but minimally adequate to convey your basic message. You use familiar words and phrases such as 'financially independent', 'great time', and 'any type', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as writing 'regarding me finding a job' instead of 'regarding finding a job', and referring to 'struggle time' instead of 'difficult time' or 'struggle'. While these errors do not completely stop communication, they do cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve your lexical score, you should try to incorporate less common vocabulary and more natural collocations, ensuring you check word forms and spelling carefully before finalising your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and overly long, run-on clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions like 'and'. When you attempt more complex sentences, they often become faulty, such as in the sentence beginning with 'because as you also know that I am new in Canada and i want...'. There are frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization, and grammar, including missing articles and awkward phrasing. These errors can cause difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, you need to use a wider mix of simple and complex sentence forms with greater accuracy, ensuring proper punctuation and capitalisation throughout your letter.

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

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