Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-09

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 Sam,

I hope you're doing great. I am writing this letter to seek help from you in finind a new job.

I am currently working at a retail store in Melbourne. Living expenses are a bit high at the moment here and my job doesn't fulfill my daily requirements. I am planning to move to Sydney.

I really want to work in retail as I have about 2 years of experience in retail industry. I have heard that in Sydney, retail market is better here than other states of Australia. And i want to build my career in same field. I have enjoyed working in my retail company but due to less salary, I cannot afford living in Melboune.

Since you are already living in Sydney, I was hoping if you help me find a new job. If you know someone who works in retail and refer me for the job would be great. I would really appreciate your effort.

Warm regards,

Snehdeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain that living costs and low pay are prompting a move, state that you want to remain in retail, and ask Sam to help with a referral. The reason for changing jobs is supported by relevant detail, including your two years of experience and plans to move to Sydney. The request is also appropriately directed to a friend who already lives there. To make the ideas more fully developed, explain more specifically what role or working conditions you are seeking, and make the request more actionable—for example, ask Sam to share vacancies or introduce you to a particular contact. The claim that Sydney’s retail market is better than other states is quite general and could be clarified or supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, an explanation of your circumstances, a description of the work you want, and a final request. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and links such as “Since you are already living in Sydney” connect your request to Sam’s situation. The progression is generally easy to follow. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear: “And i want to build my career in same field” begins abruptly, while “better here than other states” repeats the location reference awkwardly. The reason for moving to Sydney could also be linked more explicitly to the job search. Smoother transitions and clearer references would make the cohesion more flexible and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation and purpose, including “living expenses,” “build my career,” and “refer me.” The language is generally understandable, but the range is limited and several choices or spelling slips reduce precision. “Finind” and “Melboune” are misspellings, while “daily requirements” is not a natural way to describe what your salary needs to cover. “Retail market is better here than other states” is also imprecise, and “effort” sounds less natural than “help” or “support” in this friendly request. Aim for more accurate collocations and a few specific terms for the role or employment conditions you want; this would make the letter sound more fluent and appropriately natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more developed structures, such as “Since you are already living in Sydney, I was hoping if you help me find a new job.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the reader can follow the letter without difficulty. Some grammatical errors remain. In the request, “I was hoping if you help me” needs a different construction, such as “I was hoping you could help me.” The phrase “in same field” needs an article (“in the same field”), and “And i want” has incorrect capitalisation and an awkward sentence opening. There is also a tense inconsistency in “If you know someone … and refer me … would be great.” More accurate conditional forms and sentence linking would improve control.

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

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