Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-22

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You are a member of an International Students' club. The club is organising an event to celebrate popular food from around the world.

Write a letter to the event organiser, Luis. In your letter

• offer to make a popular dish from your country
• describe what this dish is
• explain why it should be included in the event

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Luis,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Task 1

Dear Sir,

I am Harneet Kaur, one of the Front end Associates at your store. I am writing to kindly request you to shorten my working hours as I am planning to enrol in a short-term pharmacy assistants course.

It is evident that the healthcare sector is gaining popularity in the present scenario owing to which I want to pursue my studies under this growing field. With regard to my availability, I would be open to work on weekends including Friday and be able to work after 3pm on Thursday. Following this schedule, I would be able to balance my work with study.

The reason why I am taking this program is not only to step into a high-demand category but also it would benefit my current job. As, being a pharmacy assistant I would get practical knowlege of medications, health and safety standards along with first-aid training. Consequently, I would use all my skills and knowlege for our store whenever is required.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Harneet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt explicitly asks you to write to an event organiser named Luis regarding an international food event, including specific details about a dish you wish to prepare. Instead, you have written a formal letter to an employer requesting a change in working hours to pursue a pharmacy course. Because you have failed to address any of the bullet points or the scenario provided in the instructions, the task achievement score is severely impacted. You must ensure you read the prompt carefully and identify the specific task requirements before beginning your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Despite the content being irrelevant to the prompt, the letter itself is logically structured. You use appropriate paragraphing to separate your request, your availability, and the justification for your study. Cohesive devices such as 'With regard to', 'Following this schedule', and 'Consequently' are used effectively to link ideas. The progression of information is clear and easy to follow, demonstrating a good grasp of formal letter structure, even though the content does not match the task instructions.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a formal business context. Phrases such as 'healthcare sector', 'high-demand category', and 'practical knowledge' are used accurately. There are minor spelling errors, such as 'knowlege' (knowledge), but these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is generally precise and fits the tone of a formal request well, showing an ability to use topic-specific language effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response shows a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use complex sentences effectively, such as 'The reason why I am taking this program is not only to step into a high-demand category but also it would benefit my current job.' While there are minor grammatical slips, such as 'As, being a pharmacy assistant...' (where the 'As' is redundant) and 'whenever is required' (should be 'whenever it is required'), the majority of your sentences are clear and error-free. Punctuation is generally handled well.

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.