Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12
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 Barrett,
I hope you are doing well. I just show the advertisment of house keeping. Moreover, I recently completed my cooking course. Therefore, I can able to help you in cooking. Apart from this, I can do some other house chores. For example, mopping, dishwashing and many more.
In addition, I would like to do these work because you are an English speaking woman, so during these work I can get a chance to improve my English, too. I can talk in English but now I want to learn some new words which enhance my vocabulary level. Moreover, I will available all of the weekdays as well as holidays. However, I will not able to work on saturday due to my part time work schedule.
I am waiting for your reply. Thank you for your time.
Best regard,
Riya Patel.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points: suggesting help, explaining the motivation, and stating availability. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the purpose is clear, the content is quite brief and lacks the necessary detail to fully develop the points. For instance, the explanation of availability is functional but lacks professional polish. To improve, you should expand on your skills and provide more context for your motivation to ensure the letter meets the length requirement and demonstrates a more comprehensive response to the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Apart from this', and 'In addition' to link ideas. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, but the overall progression of ideas is slightly hindered by the brevity of the text. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph develops a single, coherent theme.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'do some other house chores' and 'do these work' are slightly unnatural. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'show the advertisment' instead of 'saw the advertisement'. You attempt to use some relevant vocabulary related to the task, but the range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repeating simple verbs like 'do' or 'help'. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and nouns will help you convey your message more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains several grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. For example, 'I can able to help' is incorrect; it should be 'I am able to help'. Similarly, 'I will available' should be 'I will be available', and 'I will not able' should be 'I will not be able'. There are also issues with verb tense consistency, such as 'I just show' instead of 'I just saw'. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often inaccurate. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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