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 hope this finds you well. I am writing to express my

Firstly, the advertisement that I had came across mentioned that you want someone who can particularly help you in the cooking section as you are struggling with the fracture and there is no one to look after your family. Owing to this, I think I am the perfect person to do this work as I posses some good culinary skills as well as with my previous experience at a restaurant. Moreover, my intention behind doing this work for you is not about the money but to make your work easier by serving good food to your family.

I would like to let you know that I am available on Monday to Friday from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm, while I am totally available on the weekends. Let me know if this works for you.

Looking forward to your reply. Should you require any further details, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Keertan Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly explained how you could help (cooking), why you want to do the work (to assist her family), and provided your availability. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a neighbor. However, the opening sentence is incomplete ('I am writing to express my'), which is a minor oversight. To improve, ensure that every sentence is fully formed and that you provide a bit more detail on the 'why' to fully develop your ideas, as the current explanation is slightly brief.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Owing to this' to link your ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between your motivation and your availability is smoother. Currently, the jump from the reason for helping to the schedule is a bit abrupt. Using more varied linking phrases would enhance the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'culinary skills' and 'advertisement'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'cooking section' (which sounds like a store department rather than a task) and 'struggling with the fracture' (which is slightly unnatural; 'recovering from a fracture' would be better). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more precise collocations would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the advertisement that I had came across' (should be 'had come across') and 'I posses' (spelling error: 'possess'). Additionally, the opening sentence is incomplete. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, focus on verb tense consistency and ensuring that all sentences have a clear subject and predicate.

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

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