Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-14

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)

Hello

Respected Manager

I am Saira. I have done diploma in hotel management. I have worked as a waitress in a restaurant for 2 years. I have to quit the job because i shifted my apartment. My new apartment was really far from that restaurant. I cannot manage such long travelling daily, because it is wastage of time, additionally it costs too much. I have seen an advertisement of your restaurant in a local newspaper, where waitress is required. I want to apply for that role, because i have previous experience in the same field. Your restaurant is near by my new apartment and i can manage to reach on time. I am currently at home waiting for a job interview. This role suits me best because of my diploma in the same field as well as my relevant work experience of 2 years.

Kindly schedule an interview for me. I want to give interview as soon as possible and start my job.

I will be really thankful to you

Saira Ali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all bullet points required by the task. The student explains what she is currently doing, mentioning that she is at home waiting for a job interview and detailing her previous work experience in hospitality alongside her hotel management diploma. She also clearly describes her suitability, noting her two years of experience and the convenient proximity of her new apartment to the restaurant. Finally, she explicitly states her availability, expressing readiness to attend an interview as soon as possible. The tone is generally appropriate for a job application letter, and ideas are sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. Minor issues with register, such as the greeting "Hello Respected Manager", lean slightly informal or overly traditional rather than standard professional, but the communicative purpose is fully achieved.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a basic logical progression, moving from an introduction and background to the reason for applying, suitability, and finally a call to action regarding the interview. However, the cohesion is somewhat fragmented due to poor paragraphing and a lack of varied cohesive devices. The text is broken into very short sentences and lacks smooth transitions between ideas. For instance, sentences like "I have to quit the job because i shifted my apartment. My new apartment was really far from that restaurant." could be better connected using cohesive markers. Furthermore, the formatting of the letter lacks standard spacing and paragraph structure, which impacts the overall visual and structural flow for the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate her background and intentions clearly, but the range is limited. The student relies on repetitive and basic language, such as "job", "restaurant", and "apartment". There are also some unnatural collocations and word choices, such as "shifted my apartment" instead of "moved house" or "relocated", and "long travelling" instead of "long commute". While these lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication, they reflect a restricted vocabulary range that prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and compound sentences, with very few complex structures attempted. There are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including capitalization issues ("i" instead of "I") and tense inconsistencies, such as "I have done diploma" (missing article 'a') and "I want to give interview" (missing article 'an'). Additionally, punctuation is neglected in the salutation and closing lines. While these errors rarely impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear, the frequent presence of minor errors and the limited grammatical range place this response firmly in the mid-range.

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