Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-20

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 6.5)

Dear Mrs Barrett,

I am writing to apply for the job as a house helper after seeing your advertisement. I am writing because I live near your home and am free in the evenings.

Firstly, I can assist with making dinner and helping your children with their studies, as I met with them before and I know they are going to tuition classes. As a college student, I can teach them and help you with making food, as I know you do not have time for cooking because of your work schedule. I would also like to mention that as an independent student, I want to make some extra money for my expenses instead of asking my parents.

Furthermore, I can work on weekdays evenings but not on weekends. I would appreciate it if you could give me a chance to work in your house. I believe that this would be helpful for you as well.

I would be grateful if you could look into this matter and respond at your earliest convenience. Please feel free to contact me if you require any further information.

Yours faithfully,

Gurchet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly outlined how you could help (cooking and tutoring), explained your motivation (earning money independently), and specified your availability (weekdays only). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a neighbor. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the 'how' by providing more specific examples of your cooking skills or the subjects you are qualified to tutor, which would further develop your ideas and make your application more persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. You have used basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'I would also like to mention' to guide the reader through your points. The paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the transition between your motivation and your availability is smoother, perhaps by using a more sophisticated connector to link the two ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'at your earliest convenience' and 'respond to this matter' are appropriate for a formal letter. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and basic (e.g., 'making food', 'helping', 'work'). To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate more precise, topic-specific collocations, such as 'culinary assistance' or 'academic tutoring', which would demonstrate a more flexible and sophisticated command of the English language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good control of sentence structure, using a mix of simple and complex sentences. Most of your sentences are error-free and easy to follow. There are minor issues, such as 'I met with them before' (which sounds slightly unnatural in this context) and 'weekdays evenings' (should be 'weekday evenings'). While your grammar is generally accurate, you could improve by incorporating a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, to demonstrate greater flexibility and control.

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

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