Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-19

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 5.0)

Dear Mrs Barrett

I am hoping you are doing good. yesterday one of my friend told me that you put an advertisement for a help in your house in some time in next summer. I willingly want to help you. As I know how to done basic household work moreover with that I have knowledge of plumbing work also.

You mention in an advertisement that you need a plumber. I mentioned earlier that I have a knowledge of plumbing work. I can help you to fixing that leakage and with that I can clean your roof and remove all the blockage

In summer I has been planning to do some charity volunteer work. I have to go there but I get free from the job by 3 P.M. . So I reach your home just after that getting free from there. I am waiting for your positive response.

Yours faithfully

Gurman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. You successfully suggested how you could help (doing basic household work and plumbing), stated why you would like to do the work (charity volunteer work combined with local assistance), and explained your availability (free after 3 P.M.). However, the development of these ideas is quite limited and basic. Phrases like "I willingly want to help you" and the explanation of the schedule lack extension and detail. While the purpose of the letter is clear and all prompts are addressed, placing the response at a Band 6.0, the ideas remain somewhat under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks appropriate paragraphing in places, with the main body squeezed into a single dense block of text, making the structure look disjointed. There are also basic transitions used, such as "moreover with that" and "with that I can clean your roof," which feel mechanical and unnatural. Although there is a discernible overall arrangement and the writer attempts to sequence ideas logically, the lack of clear paragraph breaks and faulty referencing mean the organization falls short of higher bands. Therefore, a score of 5.0 is appropriate.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. Phrases like "doing good," "basic household work," and "positive response" represent a limited range. There are also noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as "put an advertisement for a help" instead of "placed an advertisement for help," and "how to done basic household work." While the meaning is generally communicated despite these limitations, the lack of flexibility and precision keeps this criterion at a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response shows a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent grammatical errors. Examples include tense and auxiliary errors such as "In summer I has been planning" and "I get free from the job," as well as prepositions and articles like "in an advertisement" instead of "in your advertisement." Furthermore, punctuation is weak, missing periods in places and failing to capitalize properly. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher band, resulting in a score of 5.0.

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

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