Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22

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 manager,

I am writing to request for move my current position in a different department. As I have been working in company for the past two years.

In my present job, I have learned a lot. I have improved my skills, relations with my colleagues and customers, finished my responsibilities on time. In addition, I have learned very useful conversation skills which can make me more qualify to grow.

The company can benefited in various way by moving me in different department. In my current position, I have gained valuable experience and skills which can improve my experience for different department, as consequently I do not need more training which is time saving for the company than hire new employee.

I do not want to leave the company with the various reason. I have very strong relation with my coworkers and managers of company. I am benefited with more opportunities within company in my current position.

I look forward for your response.

Yours sincerely,

Krupal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate addresses all parts of the task prompt, covering what has been learned in the present job, suggesting how the company would benefit from a departmental move, and explaining why they do not wish to leave the company. However, some of these ideas are under-developed and lack specificity. For example, while the letter states that useful conversation skills have been acquired, it does not elaborate on how these specifically apply to a new role. Similarly, the benefits to the company are stated rather than fully extended. Despite these limitations, the purpose of the letter is clear and all bullet points are appropriately addressed, which aligns well with the requirements for a Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a clear logical organization with appropriate greeting and sign-off conventions, and paragraphing is used to separate distinct topics such as past learning, company benefits, and reasons for staying. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'As consequently' and 'with the various reason' are awkward and misuse cohesive devices. Furthermore, paragraph transitions feel abrupt at times. The overall arrangement remains coherent enough for the reader to follow the writer's intentions without significant confusion, placing it firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but range and precision are limited. The student attempts some less common expressions, such as 'valuable experience' and 'career development', but these are frequently marred by word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'request for move my current position' instead of 'request to move from my current position', and 'more qualify' instead of 'more qualified'. Spelling is generally correct, but noticeable lexical inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing restrict the score. The range of vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the message, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'As I have been working in company for the past two years' and clauses introduced by 'which'. However, frequent grammatical errors occur throughout the text, particularly with prepositions, verb forms, and articles (e.g., 'working in company', 'benefited in various way', 'than hire new employee', and 'look forward for your response'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to cause difficulty and prevent the writer from achieving a higher band. The majority of complex sentences contain errors, which is characteristic of a Band 5 performance.

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

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