Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

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 4.5)

Dear Mrs Barrett,

I am writing to you referenced to your advertisement for someone to help you in your home.

I can cook for you because I am a chef I graduated last year from the collage.

I would like to help you in this job because I am from Italy and my English language is not very good I hope to practice the language with you as you are an English teacher so it

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 75 words long. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the writer mentions their ability to cook and their motivation for the job, the explanation regarding availability is completely missing. The ideas are severely underdeveloped, and the letter ends abruptly mid-sentence. To improve, the candidate must ensure all three bullet points are addressed in detail and meet the length requirement to allow for full development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response is too short to demonstrate a logical structure or effective paragraphing. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas, and the abrupt ending makes the text feel incomplete. The progression of ideas is hindered by the lack of development and the sudden termination of the text. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to organize their response into clear paragraphs with appropriate opening and closing salutations, and use linking words to connect sentences and ideas logically.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. The writer uses simple, everyday language such as 'help', 'job', and 'cook'. There is no attempt to use less common or more precise vocabulary suitable for a formal letter. The spelling error 'collage' instead of 'college' also indicates a limited range. To improve, the candidate should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to household tasks and professional communication, and work on using more varied and accurate word choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The grammatical range is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. There are several errors, such as 'referenced to your advertisement' (should be 'with reference to') and the run-on sentence structure in the second paragraph. Punctuation is also lacking, as the text ends without a period or a closing. The frequent errors and lack of complex structures significantly impact the clarity of the message. The writer needs to focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for grammatical accuracy.

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

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