Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18
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,
My name is Shakoor Hussain. I live in your town, just at couple of minutes walk from super market.
I saw your advertisement related to help the someone. It is literaly a great humanitarian effort, I appreciate your initiative. I want to offer my services and I can help in multiple tasks like preparing food, cleaning house and moping the floor etc. I beleive that by helping our neighbors we will be rewarded by God.
Usually I'm available after 4:00 PM through out the week but in next summer I've planned to join swimming classes, along with my kids, in alternate days. Because of this planned schedule I will be available only on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday.
Please let me know if I can help in this regards. I will be more than happy to contribute in this nice initiative.
Regards,
Shakoor Hussain.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student has successfully addressed all three bullet points from the prompt: suggesting how they could help in the home, explaining the motivation behind the work, and outlining availability. For the first bullet point, specific tasks such as preparing food and cleaning are mentioned. For the second bullet point, the student expresses a desire to help neighbors and gain spiritual reward. For the third bullet point, specific days and times are detailed. However, the response fails to meet the minimum word count of 150 words, standing at 146 words. Because of this length deficiency, the task cannot be fully developed to a higher band, resulting in a score of 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into appropriate paragraphs, each serving a distinct function such as introduction, stating purpose and help, detailing availability, and signing off with a concluding sentence. The flow of ideas is generally clear, and the overall progression is logical. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and repetitive (e.g., 'because of this planned schedule', 'please let me know'). Paragraphing is present and adequate for a short letter, but referencing and linking could be smoother to achieve a higher score. Coherence is maintained well enough to make the message easily understandable throughout.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The lexical range is adequate for completing a general task of this nature, though it features a few noticeable spelling and word choice errors. For example, 'literaly' is misspelled, 'super market' should be one word, and phrases like 'help the someone' are awkward. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'humanitarian effort' and 'contribute in this nice initiative', but precision is lacking at times. Spelling errors like 'beleive' and 'moping' (mopping) occur, which indicate a lack of careful proofreading. Despite these vocabulary limitations, communication is not severely hindered.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional-style structure in 'Please let me know if I can help in this regards'. There are several grammatical errors and incorrect prepositions throughout the text, including 'just at couple of minutes walk', 'related to help the someone', and 'in alternate days' instead of 'on alternate days'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher grade, they do not impede overall communication. The sentences are fairly straightforward and mostly understandable.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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