Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-25

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 well. I recently read your advertisement. I am writing to you to show my interest in a offer that you want help in your home for a few hours a day next summer because we live in a same town. Its suitable for me.

I believe that my small efforts give you a little bit relief for a few time. I suggest that I can help you in the cooking and if you have a child I am likely to assist him in his studies. We both are from different states. I think you will enjoy the cuisines of another country.

I am fond of making various food. I believe that this work will facilitate both of us, since you could taste different variety of south asian spices and I would like to take a suggestions from your side for my food. Additionally if I teach your child, I think it is also beneficial for me to perceive your accent and the British course.

I want to share a concern with you that I enrolled in a diploma certificate. It is a two year programme so its run until next December. My class are held on weekends only for two days a week. Therefore, I am avaliable on weekdays Monday to Friday and I am not avaliable on Saturdays and Sundays.

I hope you accept my consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Rubia Ahmed Khan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. You suggest helpful home assistance by offering to cook and tutor a child, explain your reasons for wanting the work such as sharing cultural cuisines and practicing your English, and clearly explain your availability regarding your weekend diploma classes. The tone is appropriate for a semi-formal letter, and your purpose is clear throughout. However, some ideas are slightly underdeveloped or expressed with repetition, which keeps the response at a Band 6.0 level. For instance, explaining the mutual benefits of cooking and studying could be expanded with more precise details. Nonetheless, all task requirements are clearly addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dedicating each paragraph to a specific aspect of your message. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Additionally', and 'I believe that' to link ideas. However, referencing is sometimes unclear, and transitions between sentences can feel a bit mechanical or abrupt, such as shifting abruptly from cooking to children's studies in the second paragraph. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the letter, but the progression of ideas lacks fluidity in places, placing this aspect securely in the Band 6.0 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common phrases like 'facilitate both of us' and 'south asian spices'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. For example, writing 'in a offer' instead of 'to an offer', 'we live in a same town' instead of 'the same town', and 'take a suggestions' instead of 'take suggestions'. Spelling is generally accurate, but these lexical errors cause occasional hesitation for the reader. The vocabulary used is sufficient to convey your message, aligning well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I suggest that I can help you in the cooking and if you have a child I am likely to assist him in his studies.' There are several grammatical errors present, including article usage ('in a same town', 'take a suggestions'), subject-verb agreement issues ('My class are held'), and tense inconsistencies ('its run until next December'). While these errors do not impede overall communication and the reader can easily follow your meaning, the frequency of basic grammatical slips prevents the score from reaching a higher band.

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