Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-13

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 Sir,

I am writing to inform you about my wish, to work in a different department of the same company. As i am working for this company since two years, in the same department.

I have got enough experience in this work and now i get bored doing the same work again and again. Similarly, it is necessary for my promotion, to have experience of multiple skills.

By moving to another position, company will be benifited , as they are facing shortage of manpower and leadership in that area, so i can help them with that

I want to stay in the same company, because i have alot of experience in this company and good under with the manager and colleagues. Similarly, i will have no hindrance in my work .

I therefore request you to change my department so i can grow professionally as well as socially.

yours sincerely,

ahmad

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The candidate has addressed all parts of the prompt, successfully covering what has been learned in the present job, suggesting how the company would benefit from a department move, and explaining why they wish to remain with the company. However, the development of these points is rather limited and basic. For instance, the statement 'now i get bored doing the same work again and again' lacks professional tone and depth. Similarly, the explanation of company benefits regarding manpower shortage is stated rather than fully elaborated. The letter fulfills the general purpose and requirements of a semi-formal workplace request, but the ideas remain at a superficial level, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor where all parts are addressed, but some are under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear purpose established immediately. Paragraphing is attempted to separate the different points required by the prompt, such as experience, company benefits, and reasons for staying. However, the paragraphing and transitions are occasionally faulty. The use of cohesive devices is weak, notably with the misuse of 'Similarly' twice ('Similarly, it is necessary for my promotion' and 'Similarly, i will have no hindrance'), which fails to show similarity between the connected ideas. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and punctuation errors around conjunctions disrupt the logical flow between sentences. Overall organisation is sufficient for a Band 5.5 to 6.0, but the mechanical and sometimes inaccurate use of cohesive ties keeps it firmly at a 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday workplace concepts. However, there are notable limitations and word-choice errors, such as 'good under with the manager' instead of a correct collocation like 'good rapport'. Spelling errors like 'benifited' and issues with phrasing ('manpower and leadership in that area') demonstrate a limited lexical control. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'professionally' and 'hindrance', frequent inaccuracies in collocation and word formation prevent the response from achieving a higher band. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the intended message, fitting the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are frequently faulty. For example, 'As i am working for this company since two years, in the same department' contains a tense error ('have been working' is required with 'since') and an unnecessary comma split. There are frequent punctuation and capitalization issues throughout the text, such as lowercase 'i' and intrusive commas before prepositional phrases ('wish, to work', 'promotion, to have'). Grammatical errors, including missing articles and incorrect prepositions, are noticeable and occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, though they do not completely impede communication. This performance aligns closely with the Band 5 criteria.

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.