Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-01

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,

I hope you are doing great. I am writing to formally inform you the cancellation of QuickBooks training course which is began in next month. That course duration is 3 months. I enrolled again in next term not right now because of the job.

I have been offered a job in different city. I really want to do a job because of financial issues and take care the family. I really do that course because someday that would benefit for my future promotion but right now it's impossible to continue.

I will continue studies after the one-year when I will hire permanently. But before that I will be do complete job training So, the permanent employee's do whatever studies they want after they will be promoted.

Sir, I really want your advice about the situation I will be in future. Please recommend that the decision I make is good or not.

Your sincerely,

Asad Rao

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You have made an attempt to cover all the required bullet points, but your response only partially addresses the task due to limited and under-developed ideas. For instance, you explain that you cannot continue the course because you have a new job in a different city, which touches on the first bullet point. However, your explanation of what you would like to do about your studies and your request for advice regarding future situations are tangled together and remain unclear. Phrases such as 'I will continue studies after the one-year when I will hire permanently' lack clarity and development. To move to a higher level, you need to ensure all parts of the prompt are addressed with fully extended and clear ideas, presenting a much more coherent plan of action.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in your letter, such as the standard salutation and sign-off, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas from one sentence to the next. The relationships between your sentences are often difficult to follow, making the text feel disjointed. For example, transitioning from explaining your financial issues to discussing future promotions and permanent employment happens abruptly without smooth logical links. Furthermore, paragraphing is not used effectively to separate distinct points such as the situation, your proposed solution, and your request for advice. To improve, you should group your ideas into logical paragraphs and use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices to guide the reader through your letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary range is limited, though it is minimally adequate to convey your basic message. You attempt some less common words and phrases, but this leads to noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. For example, writing 'inform you the cancellation' instead of 'inform you of the cancellation', or using 'take care the family' instead of 'take care of my family'. Additionally, terms like 'hire permanently' are used incorrectly in place of 'hired permanently' or 'gain permanent employment'. To achieve a higher band, you need to expand your vocabulary range and demonstrate greater precision and accuracy in your word choices and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing shows a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences, while your attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that cause difficulty and strain for the reader. For example, tense and verb form errors are common, such as 'course which is began in next month' instead of 'course which begins next month', and 'I will be do complete job training'. Prepositions and articles are also frequently misused or omitted. To improve your grammar score, you need to work on forming accurate complex sentences, mastering basic verb tenses, and reducing the frequency of foundational errors in your writing.

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

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