Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11

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 6.0)

Dear Mrs Barrett,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to express my gratitude to help your friend. I saw an advertisement that you posted on Facebook. I will find some time to help her in some household chores. I am really good at cleaning, organising and fixing things so it would not be a big deal. I am particularly interested to help our neighbours because someone else had helped me in the past when I was ill and I would like to do the same for others. I was sick for five days and a young couple in my town came to do all the housework and took care of me.

I can be available every morning from Monday to Friday from 7 to 12 a.m. I have been working overnight for SPX technologies so I can get some free time in the morning. Despite the weekdays I could also be available on weekend if they need me.

Please feel free to let me know what time is comfortable for your friend. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Vaibhav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you offer help with cleaning, organising and repairs, explain that you want to repay the kindness you received while ill, and give weekday and weekend availability. The personal example makes your motivation relevant and clear. However, some details are less fully handled: the opening refers to helping “your friend” rather than Mrs Barrett, and the letter does not specify when you are unavailable, despite the task asking for both available and unavailable times. Clarify that you are responding to Mrs Barrett’s advertisement, and state any limits—for example, whether you cannot work on particular days or outside the morning hours. This would make the response more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, a paragraph about your skills and motivation, a separate paragraph on availability, and a polite closing. The sequence is easy to follow, and the example about the couple who helped you supports your reason for applying. Some connections and references are less clear, however. “Your friend” and “her” shift attention away from Mrs Barrett, while “Despite the weekdays” does not clearly introduce the weekend availability. The first paragraph also combines several purposes, so the main points could be easier to scan if skills and motivation were separated. Use direct references to Mrs Barrett and simple transitions such as “In addition” to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range for a practical letter, including “household chores,” “organising,” “overnight,” and “available.” These choices communicate your skills, motivation and schedule. Some word combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “express my gratitude to help your friend” does not convey that you are applying to help Mrs Barrett, and “interested to help” is not the natural form. “It would not be a big deal” is also rather casual for this letter. Choose conventional, precise expressions for offering assistance and explaining motivation, while keeping the tone warm. Your meaning is generally understandable, but more accurate collocations and a slightly more formal register would make the letter sound more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the reason clause in “because someone else had helped me” and the time clause “when I was ill.” Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your message. Some grammatical choices need attention: “I am writing this letter to express my gratitude to help” has an incorrect construction, and “I am particularly interested to help” should use a different verb pattern. The sentence beginning “Despite the weekdays” is also not formed clearly as a contrast. Review verb patterns after expressions such as “interested” and “grateful,” and use a complete, direct clause to introduce weekend availability. This would improve accuracy while preserving your varied sentence forms.

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