Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-30

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 am writing this express my happiness that you are appointed as my career coach. As a new student, I am struggling to find my carrer path.

You must be searching for my resume, Let me make it easy for you. I have completed my graduation in the 'Automotive Technician' program at the 'University of Guelph' in 2022. If I talk about my work experiences, I have not done much; I just worked at the institute shop where we used to practice on cars.

I have high hopes from you as I lack in a few areas which include: professionalism, punchtuality and the Mathematics. I expect you to help me to choose my career path too, as I am a bit confused between an Automotive Technician or a Truck Mechanic.

For our first meeting, I already booked a hall at a place called 'The Motel'. Also, I invited my parents.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Harshdeep.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the three requested points: your automotive studies and practical experience, the support you want with career choices and workplace skills, and a proposed first meeting. The details about choosing between an automotive technician and truck mechanic give the mentor a useful sense of your uncertainty. However, some ideas are unclear or insufficiently developed. Calling yourself a “new student” does not fit the workplace scenario, and “I already booked a hall” at “The Motel” with your parents invited may not be an appropriate or clearly explained arrangement for a professional first meeting. Suggest a convenient time and a workplace or online location, and explain more specifically what guidance you hope to receive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: you introduce yourself, describe your background, explain the help you need, and finish with a meeting proposal and closing. Paragraph breaks make these stages easy to identify, and phrases such as “If I talk about my work experiences” and “For our first meeting” signal transitions. This coherent structure meets the lower-band expectations and shows some effective progression. To make the organisation more polished, use transitions that sound natural in a professional letter and ensure each paragraph develops one connected point. For example, the meeting proposal is abrupt and does not explain why the venue or your parents’ attendance is relevant, so the reader may not understand how it follows from the earlier discussion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your background and goals, including “Automotive Technician,” “work experiences,” “professionalism,” and “career path.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unsuitable for a professional letter. “Career coach” is not the same as the task’s mentor, while “high hopes from you” and “I lack in a few areas” are not natural expressions in this context. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “carrer” and “punchtuality.” These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your main message, but they reduce precision. Aim for more natural workplace expressions and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate using a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, such as “I expect you to help me to choose my career path too, as I am a bit confused…” This shows an attempt to connect ideas, and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, some grammatical errors remain. The opening should read “I am writing to express,” rather than “I am writing this express,” and “I have completed my graduation” would be more naturally formed as “I graduated.” In “I already booked a hall,” the tense is inconsistent with the surrounding present-perfect phrasing; “I have already booked” is appropriate. Review infinitive patterns, verb forms, and sentence punctuation to improve accuracy.

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

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