Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22
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 great. I saw the advertisement in the newspaper that you are looking for help in your house during summer next year. I will be on summer break and i can help you with various things. I can help to main your garden area as i am quite keen in gardening, I can assist in cleaning, cooking and grocery. The am want to do all these these activities is that i personally believe this would help to improve my skills such as discipline ,social skills , communication and many more. I am available to perform all these duties on Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm. I hope you wold consider me
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter covers all three bullet points: suggesting help, explaining the motivation, and stating availability. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The suggestions for help (gardening, cleaning, cooking) are listed but not elaborated upon, and the explanation for wanting the job is quite brief. To improve, you should expand on your experience or specific interests in these tasks to provide a more comprehensive and persuasive letter. Because the response is 29 words short of the requirement, it fails to fully develop the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is short and lacks clear paragraphing, which is essential for a formal letter. While there is a basic logical flow, the transition between ideas is abrupt. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'I can' and 'I am', but the lack of paragraph breaks makes the text feel like a single block of information. To reach a higher band, ensure you use clear paragraphing to separate the introduction, the body paragraphs (one for each bullet point), and the closing. Using a wider range of linking words would also improve the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'help you with various things' and 'do all these activities' are functional but lack precision. There are also minor errors, such as 'main your garden' (likely meant 'maintain') and 'The am want to do' (which is grammatically unclear and uses incorrect vocabulary). To improve, try to use more specific verbs and nouns related to household tasks and professional communication. Expanding your range of descriptive language will help you convey your enthusiasm more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are several grammatical errors that affect the clarity of the message. Examples include 'I saw the advertisement... that you are looking for' (should be 'for which you are looking' or 'where you are looking'), 'i can help to main' (should be 'maintain'), and 'I hope you wold consider me' (spelling error). The sentence structure is mostly simple, with limited use of complex sentences. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct spelling, and using a wider variety of sentence structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences, while ensuring accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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