Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-23

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)

dear sir,

i'm a student, currently in 2nd year and looking for part time jobs to help to cover my tuition fees and contribute a little towards household expenses that i can manage along side my studies. ive seen this advertisement for waitress in local newspaper and it is near to my house, so it will be convenient for me to come on time. moreover, timings are perfect for me, 6 to 10 pm which i can easily manage with my studies. i really need this job as im the eldest one in my family, ive to look out everything on my own. i am willing to learn and can follow instructions carefully. in addition, i am comfortable working as a part of a team and can manage my time effectively.

i am available to work in the evenings and at weekends, depending on my college schedule. i would be happy to attend an interview at any time. i am available this ffriday after 3pm or on a saturday morning.

i look forward to hearing from you and hope to have the opportunity to discuss my application further.

yours obediently,

rahima salman.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task prompt. You explained your current situation by stating that you are a second-year student looking for part-time work to cover tuition fees and household expenses. You described your suitability for the role by mentioning that you are willing to learn, can follow instructions carefully, are comfortable working in a team, and manage your time effectively. Finally, you clearly stated when you can attend an interview, offering specific dates such as this Friday after 3 pm or Saturday morning. The tone is appropriate for a job application letter, and all ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed. Therefore, this performance meets the requirements for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

Your letter has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure appropriate for a letter of application, moving from your current status and suitability to your interview availability. You have used some cohesive devices and transitions, such as 'moreover', 'in addition', and 'i look forward to hearing from you'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak; the main body of the letter is grouped into a single, dense block of text rather than being separated into clear paragraphs for each distinct point. Referencing and cohesive devices are generally understandable, but the lack of proper paragraph breaks restricts the logical flow, placing this criterion solidly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You have used an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, successfully communicating your personal details, financial motivations, and availability. Phrases such as 'tuition fees', 'household expenses', 'convenient for me', and 'manage my time effectively' demonstrate a functional control of everyday workplace and academic vocabulary. However, there is a reliance on simpler, repetitive language ('i really need this job', 'i am available', 'timings are perfect'), and there are minor lexical inaccuracies, such as 'look out everything' instead of 'look after everything'. You attempt some less common expressions, but overall the lexical resource matches the descriptors for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'which i can easily manage with my studies' and 'i am available to work in the evenings and at weekends'. There are several punctuation and capitalization errors throughout the text, notably the consistent lack of capitalisation for the pronoun 'i' and the start of sentences (e.g., 'dear sir,', 'i'm a student', 'ive seen'), as well as spelling errors like 'ffriday'. While these errors do not impede communication, they persist across the text and prevent the grammar score from reaching higher bands where error-free sentences predominate. This demonstrates the characteristics of Band 5.5 to 6.0.

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

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