Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have enrolled in an evening course but you have found that you are too busy to continue and would like to take the course next term instead.

• explain the situation and why you cannot continue the course

• say what you would like to do about your studies

• ask for advice about what you can do about the situation

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sir/Mam,

I hope all are good. Currently, I am enrolled in a course in evening time, but i am too busy at this time because i have my part-time job in the evening. I can not attend the classes, so i want not continue course in this term. I am thinking about I will do this course in next term. Its my humble request to you because i can not leave my job because i found that job very difficult, so if i leave that job, it will be very difficult situation for me for fulfill my expense as well as its very hard to pay the course fees also. Please give me suggestion in this difficult situation, what i should do. I hope you will understand my situation and give me helpful advice to me which will be beneficial for me and also safe my job as well.

With regards

Tajinder Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining your situation, stating your intention to defer, and asking for advice. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, and the purpose of the communication is clear. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding your job situation. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is developed with more variety in your reasoning rather than restating the same point multiple times. Overall, you have fulfilled the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the explanation of the problem to the proposed solution and finally the request for advice. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. You rely heavily on simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'but' and lack a variety of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly. Paragraphing is also absent; even in a short letter, separating the introduction, the body of the explanation, and the closing request would significantly improve the structure and readability of your response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your message, but it is somewhat basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'very difficult' and 'very hard' are used multiple times, which limits the range of your expression. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'I hope all are good' (a non-standard opening) and 'safe my job' (should be 'save'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise adjectives and verbs that reflect a formal register, and avoid repeating the same descriptors throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('I hope all are good'), missing articles ('in evening time'), and incorrect sentence structures ('I want not continue course'). You rely mostly on simple sentence structures, and your attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors, such as 'I am thinking about I will do this course'. While the meaning remains clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for small omissions would be beneficial.

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

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