Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Mrs Barrett, an English-speaking woman who lives in your town, has advertised for someone to help her in her home for a few hours a day next summer.

Write a letter to Mrs Barrett. In your letter

• suggest how you could help her in her home
• say why you would like to do this work
• explain when you will and will not be available

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mrs Barrett,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Mrs Berrett,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to express my interest in helping you at your home for a few hours. I saw your advetisement on social media and decided to help you during the summer.

I will complete my school by the end of this month and will be available for work from the next month. I am currently a student of social worker program so helping someone is what I have studied of. I am particularly interested to do this job because it would give me some hands-on experience and It will be a great opportunity to develop skills.

I will be available to work for 5 days in a week and I would like to take 2 days off. I am not obligated to work on weekend so you can choose as per your requirement.

Please feel free to let me know if you need my help. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Vaibhav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the reasons for applying and give a general indication of when you can work: you mention finishing school this month, starting next month, and taking two days off. However, the main duty-related point is not answered: you say you want to help, but do not suggest specific tasks you could do in Mrs Barrett’s home. Availability is also unclear because “5 days in a week” and “2 days off” do not identify which days, and “not obligated to work on weekend” leaves it uncertain whether weekends are available or unavailable. Develop each point with concrete details, such as household tasks and exact days or hours, so the letter fully meets the purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with the reason for writing, moves to your background and motivation, then discusses availability and closes politely. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and phrases such as “I am writing” and “I look forward to hearing from you” suit the letter format. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, however. The shift from completing school to studying social work could be explained more smoothly, and the availability paragraph gives days off without specifying which days. Organise the practical details in a clearer sequence—for example, first state your start date, then your regular days and hours, and finally any exceptions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range for a personal letter, including relevant expressions such as “hands-on experience,” “develop skills,” and “available to work.” The meaning is generally clear, but several word-choice, collocation, and spelling issues limit precision. “Advetisement” is misspelled, “helping someone is what I have studied of” is not a natural way to describe your studies, and “interested to do this job” is an awkward collocation. “Complete my school” is also imprecise for finishing your studies. Choose more natural phrases and proofread spelling; this will make your reasons and qualifications sound clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including the reason clause in “because it would give me some hands-on experience” and the conditional “if you need my help.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, and errors do not generally prevent understanding. Some grammatical and punctuation problems remain: “I am currently a student of social worker program” needs an article and a more suitable grammatical form, while “what I have studied of” has an incorrect construction. The capital “It” after “and” is also unnecessary. Review articles and sentence boundaries, and practise combining your availability details into accurate, complete sentences.

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

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