Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-06

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 John,

How have you been? It feels like ages since we last caught up. I am writing to notify you that I have decided to find another job.

To provide some context, as I have been working in the bakery for over 3 years now. I asked my manager for a raise because in relative to other workers, I am performing more tasks. He refused my consideration and replied me that it is a part of your job.

Now, I have decided to leave this job and apply in some other bakery. I know some bakeries in town, but the one on the bay street named ''Cobs Bread'' has a good reputation. Moreover, they're paying 26 dollars per hour to the supervisor. I would like to be the part in that store.

My mother informed me that your wife works over there. I would be grateful if you could ask her for a reference, as she is a baker.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Vishal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task appropriately. You clearly explained why you are looking for a new job by mentioning your current situation at the bakery, described the kind of job you want by highlighting the supervisor role at 'Cobs Bread' with its specific pay rate, and asked your friend to help by requesting a reference from his wife. Your position is clear throughout, and the ideas are extended and supported well, such as when you mention your mother's information about your friend's wife. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise regarding your manager's response, which keeps the development at this level. To move further, you could provide even more detailed elaboration on why you feel under-compensated for the extra tasks you perform.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

There is a clear logical organisation and progression throughout the letter. The layout follows standard informal letter conventions, starting with a friendly greeting and moving smoothly from context to your specific requests. You use cohesive devices flexibly, such as 'To provide some context', 'Moreover', and 'as she is a baker', which help guide the reader effortlessly through your narrative. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the background information, your job preferences, and the request for help into distinct blocks. To reach a higher standard, ensure that all referencing remains entirely transparent, as slightly tighter connections between sentences could make the overall flow even more seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully conveying your message about changing jobs. You attempt some less common vocabulary, such as 'reputation', 'supervisor', and 'reference', demonstrating an awareness of style suitable for an informal correspondence. However, there are some word-choice and collocation errors that prevent a higher rating, such as writing 'in relative to other workers' instead of 'relative to', saying 'apply in some other bakery' rather than 'apply to', and using 'be the part in that store' instead of 'be a part of that store'. These occasional inaccuracies do not impede communication, but refining these phrases will help you achieve greater precision in future writing tasks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like 'I am writing to notify you that I have decided...' and 'I would be grateful if you could ask her...'. There are some errors in grammar, such as the tense usage in 'as I have been working in the bakery for over 3 years now', which would be more natural as a simple present or present continuous ('as I have worked' or 'as I am working'), and 'replied me' instead of 'replied to me'. Punctuation and verb patterns also show minor slips, such as the unnecessary quotation marks around the bakery name. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and your control remains steady throughout the response.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.