Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-14

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 John,

I am writing this letter to request in change of my position from the water department to the land department.

I have been working as a water management officer from past two years. I have acquired a knowledge about various laws of water contribution to different areas, water distribution and future development of the city.

While working in the water department, I have learned many things about land too from my senior colleague who is sitting with me everyday and working as higher officer. The training which I needed to enter in the land department can be skip as I have learned all the important terms of the land which we need to have. Apart from this, I am ready for the exam which we required to this field.

I do not want to leave this company because the company has given me a lot without even asking. The way company provide professional and friendly atmosphere, I can work productively which is also good for my future professional career development.

I am looking forward to change my position.

Yours sincerely,

Tez

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly stated your experience in the water department, explained the benefits of your transfer, and provided a reason for staying with the company. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how the company would benefit from your move is a bit vague, focusing more on your personal readiness than on specific value-added contributions to the land department. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are more fully extended and explicitly linked to the company's goals.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing, which helps the reader follow your intent. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Apart from this' and 'While working in'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'The training which I needed... can be skip'. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between your ideas would enhance the overall coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'acquired', 'professional', and 'productively'. However, there are several instances of awkward collocation and word choice, such as 'request in change of my position' (should be 'request a change of position') and 'water contribution' (which is unclear in this context). You also use 'higher officer' instead of a more standard term like 'senior manager' or 'supervisor'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise professional collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'from past two years' (should be 'for the past two years'), 'can be skip' (should be 'can be skipped'), and 'which we required to this field' (should be 'which is required for this field'). While these errors do not prevent the message from being understood, they occur frequently enough to limit your score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms will help improve your accuracy.

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

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