Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-13
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
A restaurant has placed an advertisement for waiters and waitresses in your local newspaper. Write a letter to the restaurant, applying for the job. In the letter
- explain what you are currently doing
- describe your suitability for this area of work
- say when you can attend an interview.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
To,
The Resturaunt,
Sir,
I hope, you will be in best of your health. I just saw an advertisment for job of a waiter in the newspaper. i am keenly interested to join your team to serve their at your resturaunt. I am currently finding a job for myself. I have done my bachelor's from Governmet College University Lahore in 2021, and my master's from University Of Lahore on weekend programme in 2023. I have earlier served as a waiter and a resturaunt for 2 years([redacted phone]). Due to some personal issues i needed to leave that job and after that I am currently finding a good job to handle my daily life expenses. an i live nearby your resturaunt so i must ensure you my timely appearnce and punctuality during the employment. I would be so glad to recieve a joining letter from you, I am available for an interview at your desired time and venue.
I shall be very thankful to you.
Syed Mahdi Abbas Shah
House 23, 9-Fane Road Lahore.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The writer explains what they are currently doing, stating that they are looking for a job after leaving a previous role. Suitability is addressed by mentioning previous experience as a waiter for two years and living nearby, and the availability for an interview is clearly stated at the end of the letter. However, the format chosen is a hybrid of a formal letter and an informal note, featuring outdated or inappropriate openings and closings like "To, The Resturaunt, Sir," which lowers the overall appropriateness of the tone. Despite this stylistic flaw, the core communicative functions are fulfilled adequately, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, but paragraphing is severely neglected. The entire body of the letter is written as a single, dense block of text following the salutation, which makes the progression harder to follow than necessary. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or awkwardly, such as starting a sentence with "an i live nearby" (capitalisation and conjunction issues). Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of distinct paragraphs for introducing the purpose, detailing experience, and requesting an interview detracts from the organizational quality, leading to a Band 5.0 score for this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words like "keenly interested," "punctuality," and "employment." However, there are notable spelling errors throughout the text, such as "Resturaunt" (repeated multiple times), "advertisment," "Governmet," "recieve," and "appearnce." Word choices are occasionally awkward, such as "currently finding a job for myself" instead of "seeking employment." These errors do not completely impede communication, but their frequency prevents the score from rising above Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as "I have done my bachelor's from... in 2021, and my master's from... on weekend programme in 2023." However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including lowercase letters at the start of sentences ("i just saw", "i am currently"), incorrect prepositions ("done my bachelor's from" instead of "at"), missing articles ("advertisment for job"), and comma splices ("...from you, I am available..."). While the meaning remains mostly clear, the density of basic structural and punctuation errors keeps the performance at a Band 5.0 level.
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.