Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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 Mentor,

I am writing this letter to inform you about a brief outline of my previous experience and studies.

I hope you are doing well, actually, I am unfamiliar with the work environment of your company so that i really appreciate if you could guide me with your knowlegde and experience. I will also need some information about rules and regulation which are supposed to follow by employees, so that I can maintain disciplain in the company.

I am looking forward to arrange a first meeting with you. This would be great if you can decide an appropriate time and place for the meeting. So that I could have opportunity to know more about each other.

It would be great working with an experienced mentor like you.

Your sincerely,

Lovepreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The letter addresses the purpose of contacting your mentor and includes a request for guidance on workplace rules, as well as a suggestion that the mentor choose a time and place to meet. However, the previous studies and work experience are not actually outlined: the opening only says you are writing to provide an outline. This leaves one required point unfulfilled, while the help you want is described only generally. The response is also 19 words below the required minimum, which limits the opportunity to develop the missing details. To improve, briefly name your qualification and previous role, specify the kind of career support you need, and propose a meeting time or a couple of options.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for the request for support, the meeting, and the closing. The sequence is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “I am looking forward to” help signal the next purpose. However, the opening paragraph does not deliver the outline it promises, so the progression from introduction to the main points feels incomplete. Some links are also awkward or mechanical: “so that” is repeated, and “So that I could have opportunity” is left as a fragment after a full stop. A clearer progression would be to introduce your background first, then explain the support you seek, and finish with a specific meeting proposal.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main purpose, including “work environment,” “guide me,” and “rules and regulation.” There is also some attempt at workplace-appropriate language. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “knowlegde,” “disciplain,” and “Your sincerely.” Some phrases are unnatural or too general for a professional introduction, such as “inform you about a brief outline” and “know more about each other.” Choose conventional collocations and more precise terms—for example, describe your “educational background” and “previous work experience,” and say you would value advice on “settling into the role” or “career development.” Proofreading spelling would also strengthen clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, such as “I am unfamiliar with the work environment … so that I really appreciate if you could guide me.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “I really appreciate if” needs a more suitable verb pattern (“I would really appreciate it if”), and “which are supposed to follow by employees” has an incorrect passive construction. The sentence beginning “So that I could…” is a fragment, while “This would be great if you can decide” has an awkward conditional structure. There are also issues with capitalisation and punctuation, including the lowercase “i.” Use complete sentences and check verb patterns, articles, and conditional forms.

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.