Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-08

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 came through the advertisement which says that you need a helper for a few hours. As you mentioned the same town I am living in, I believe I am fit for this role.

Unfortunately, you did not describe the work for which you want the helper, I am really keen to know about it. If you want house help such as washing dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning, I apologise for that. Nevertheless, if a chef or babysitter is desired, I would be happy to help. That might help me develop my portfolio too. For instance, I am currently taking a class of a chef and baker, for which I needed a job related to that to build my profile as soon as I finish my course. Furthermore, I have a small business of babysitting, so I can definitely help you out in that. One thing to keep in mind, I am only available 5 days a week despite public holidays.

Looking forward to hearing back from you. Thank you!

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You suggested specific roles (chef/babysitter), explained your motivation (building a portfolio), and provided your availability. However, the tone is slightly inconsistent for a formal letter. For example, stating 'I apologise for that' regarding cleaning tasks is unnecessary and slightly informal. Additionally, the opening 'I came through the advertisement' is unnatural; 'I saw your advertisement' would be more appropriate. While the task is fully addressed, the development of ideas is somewhat limited, and the tone could be more professional to better suit the context of responding to an advertisement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Nevertheless', and 'For instance' to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is a bit disjointed; the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disconnected due to the phrasing. Overall, the flow of information is easy to follow, but the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, such as 'advertisement', 'portfolio', and 'desire'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices. For instance, 'I came through the advertisement' is incorrect; 'I saw your advertisement' is standard. 'Taking a class of a chef' is unnatural; 'taking a culinary course' or 'training to be a chef' would be better. While your vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. You should focus on learning more natural collocations and idiomatic expressions relevant to professional correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'As you mentioned the same town I am living in' (which should be 'As you mentioned you live in the same town') and 'I am only available 5 days a week despite public holidays' (where 'except for' would be more accurate than 'despite'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some minor issues with sentence construction. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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