Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31
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 Barrwett,
I heard the news that you want someone to help you in your home for a few hours. I am interested to do work at your place as your home is in my town, and I will be happy to work few hours in your home.
I am a young and active person and I now how to do different kind of home tasks and I am good at it. I can help you in your kitchen because I am a good chief. So, I can help you in that too and make your work more easy and save your time as well.
As you known, that you live in my town. So, it will easy for me to work at your place and easy for me to come at your place. I like to do this work to earn my own living you will pay me for helping you in your home.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: suggesting how you can help, explaining your motivation, and mentioning your availability. However, the third point regarding your availability is not fully addressed; you mention that you live in the same town, but you do not specify when you will or will not be available during the summer. To improve, ensure you provide concrete details for every part of the prompt. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter, though it could be more formal given the context of applying for work.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. However, the progression between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For example, the use of 'So' at the beginning of sentences is repetitive and limits the flow of your writing. You should aim to use a wider variety of linking words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition' to connect your ideas more naturally. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure would benefit from more sophisticated cohesive devices to improve the logical flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it is quite basic and repetitive. You use the word 'help' and 'work' frequently. There are also some errors in word choice, such as 'chief' instead of 'chef' and 'make your work more easy' instead of 'make your work easier'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to household tasks or professional attributes. For instance, instead of 'good at it', you could use 'competent' or 'experienced'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'I now how to do' (should be 'I know how to do'), 'As you known' (should be 'As you know'), and 'it will easy' (should be 'it will be easy'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not completely impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of auxiliary verbs.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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