Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

 

You started in your present job two years ago. You now feel it is important for your career development to move to a different department in the same company.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• say what you have learned in your present job
• suggest how the company would benefit from moving you to a different department
• explain why you do not wish to leave the company

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Paula,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to request a transfer from my current role to a different department.

I joined the company two years ago as an Administrative Assistant. In my current role, I learned answering calls, preparing fax documents, arrange supplies and coordinate between teams. In my opinion, it is a best time for me to take a new responsibility.

Being promoted to the new position will not only beneficial for me, but it help company as well by providing my experienced and interpersonal relationship with customer. Additionally, I can understand both consumer and company's perspective and I can form a balance by delivering the best service.

I value the company and ethics it builds on, due to which I do not wish to leave the company. I hope you will take my request under consideration and I can hear from you soon.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state what you have learned, suggest benefits for the company, and explain your loyalty. However, the development of these points is somewhat superficial. For example, when mentioning what you learned, you list tasks like 'answering calls' and 'preparing fax documents' without elaborating on the skills gained. Similarly, the benefit to the company is stated in general terms rather than specific professional contributions. To reach a higher band, provide more depth and specific examples of how your skills would translate to a new department. The tone is appropriate for a formal business letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In my current role,' 'Being promoted,' and 'Additionally' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the structure is easy to follow, and the paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'career development,' 'perspective,' and 'consideration.' However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'learned answering calls' (should be 'learned how to answer calls') and 'interpersonal relationship with customer' (should be 'interpersonal skills with customers'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that verbs are followed by the correct grammatical structures (e.g., 'learned to' vs 'learned -ing').

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. For instance, 'it help company' should be 'it would help the company,' and 'the company and ethics it builds on' is grammatically awkward. There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement, such as 'it is a best time' (should be 'the best time'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article placement.

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

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