Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I would like to write this letter to seek help and support from you beacuse I am a newly hired and want to learn more.

I have done my graduation in Cooking programm from Lambton college. I have 2 years of experience working as main chief in Maharaja hotel. Along with this, I am also pursing bakery classes.

I am expecting that you will provide the knowledge of each and everything,

which includes following the proper procedures and charts, dressing of different dishes and the the quantity.

For the arrangments of our meeting, I am hoping that proper infromation will be delivered in a proper way such as by giving orientation, providing 4-5 hours of traning and also arranging the videos or mention some websites from where I can get some ideas .

I hope you will like my ideas and looking to a positive and prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Parneet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you describe your cooking studies and hotel experience, explain that you want guidance on procedures and dish preparation, and propose training and other resources. These details make the letter relevant and its purpose clear. However, the help you want is described broadly as “the knowledge of each and everything,” and the meeting proposal focuses on orientation, several hours of training, and videos or websites rather than suggesting a specific time or format for a first meeting. Develop these points more precisely—for example, identify one or two skills you want to improve and suggest meeting for coffee or a short discussion at a convenient time. A more personal introduction would also suit a letter to an assigned mentor.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for your background, the support you want, and meeting arrangements. This helps the reader follow the main topics. However, progression within the final two paragraphs is less clear: the meeting paragraph combines orientation, four to five hours of training, videos, and websites without explaining how these relate to an initial meeting. Some linking is also mechanical, as in “Along with this” and “For the arrangements of our meeting.” Organise the requests in a clearer sequence and use transitions that show their relationship. A brief opening that introduces you directly, followed by a focused meeting suggestion and a suitable closing, would make the letter flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant workplace and cooking vocabulary, including “work experience,” “proper procedures,” “dishes,” and “quantity,” so the reader can understand the general subject of your requests. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, such as “main chief,” “provide the knowledge of each and everything,” and “mention some websites.” Spelling errors—including “beacuse,” “programm,” “pursing,” and “arrangments”—also make the writing less polished. Choose more precise expressions and check spelling carefully. For instance, you could refer to your role as a “head chef,” ask for “guidance on kitchen procedures,” and request that your mentor “recommend useful websites.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate using mostly simple sentence patterns, and the main information is generally understandable. There are attempts to connect ideas, as in “I have 2 years of experience … Along with this, I am also…,” but the range of sentence structures remains limited, and some constructions are awkward or incomplete. For example, “I am a newly hired” needs a noun such as “employee,” while “I am hoping that proper information will be delivered” uses an impersonal passive where a direct request would be clearer. The final sentence, “I hope you will like my ideas and looking to a positive and prompt response,” also lacks parallel structure. Practise combining clauses accurately and proofreading sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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

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