Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

All new employees at your workplace have a mentor - an experienced colleague who gives them advice and support in their career. As a new employee, you have been given details of your mentor.

Write a letter to introduce yourself to your new mentor. In your letter

• give a brief outline of your previous studies and work experience

• explain what help you hope your mentor can give

• suggest arrangements for a first meeting with your mentor

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear....... ,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Mr George,

I am writing to introduce myself as your new mentee. My name is Carlton and I shall be seeking your guidance in navigating our workplace.

I did obtained my National Certificate in Electrical Power Engineering from Masvingo Polytechnic in 2018. I also did a four-year apprenticeship course at Tongaat Hulett from 2017 to 2020. Before I joined this company, I had been employed as an Electrician at Tongaat Huletts since 2020 after my apprenticeship completion.

Since I am new in the mining industry, I am in dire need of your assistance to understand how you operate here. I would be happy if you take me on a plant tour and show me all the electrical equipment that I will be working on. I would also appreciate if you help me with the Safety, Health and Environment policy of the company. Moreover, you can assist me to get all the required tools that I will need as a maintenance electrician.

I was hoping to meet you at the local bar on Sunday for familiarisation, I heard that you spent most of your Sunday afternoons there. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Carlton

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you outline your electrical engineering qualification and apprenticeship, explain that you want help with a plant tour, equipment, safety procedures and tools, and propose a first meeting. The details make the letter relevant and give the mentor a clear sense of your needs. However, the study and work timeline is not fully clear: the apprenticeship is dated 2017–2020, while you also say you were employed at Tongaat Huletts “since 2020 after my apprenticeship completion.” The meeting suggestion is also less effective because choosing a local bar based on an assumption about the mentor’s Sundays may feel overly familiar. Clarify the timeline and suggest a mutually convenient, professional meeting arrangement, such as a time at work.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is organised in a clear sequence: introduction, background, requested support, and meeting proposal. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “Since,” “Moreover,” and “I also” make the progression easy to follow. The reader can understand the main message without difficulty. To make the organisation more polished, connect the study and employment dates more explicitly, as the transition from the apprenticeship ending in 2020 to employment “since 2020” leaves the chronology uncertain. The list of support requests could also be grouped or prioritised, so the main areas of guidance stand out rather than reading as several separate requests.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of workplace vocabulary, including “mentee,” “apprenticeship,” “plant tour,” “electrical equipment,” and “maintenance electrician.” These terms suit the context and communicate your professional background and needs. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “seeking your guidance” and “I would also appreciate.” Some expressions are less natural or precise: “dire need” sounds overly urgent for a polite introductory letter, while “for familiarisation” is awkward in this context. “How you operate here” is also vague when you mean learning the workplace’s procedures. More natural collocations and a consistently professional register would add flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the conditional “I would be happy if…” and the time clause “Since I am new in the mining industry.” Most sentences are understandable, and grammatical errors do not prevent the reader from following your message. Some errors remain, however. “I did obtained” should be “I obtained” or “I did obtain”; after “did,” the verb takes its base form. In “I would be happy if you take me,” the conditional sequence is more naturally “if you took me” or “if you could take me.” The sentence about employment also needs clearer tense and timing. Review verb forms and conditional structures, and use a wider range of accurate sentence patterns.

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