Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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 am Writing to apply for the work you advertised for next summer. I can help with cleaning cooking and shopping. I can Also with other simple jobs around you home.

I would like to do this work because I want to gain some work experience and earn some money during my summer holiday. can help you with different household tasks. For example, I can clean the rooms, wash the dishes, do some shopping and prepare simple meals. I can also help you with other small jobs around the house if you need me.

will be available from Monday to Friday in the morning. However, I will not be available on weekends because I have some family activities.

I look forward to hearing from you yours sincerely,

Ayan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response covers all three bullet points required in the prompt: you suggest how you can help Mrs Barrett with cleaning and cooking, explain why you want the job to gain experience and earn money, and specify your availability as Monday to Friday mornings while noting weekend unavailability due to family activities. However, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement, containing only 131 words instead of the required 150 words. This under-length impacts the full development of ideas, placing the response in Band 5.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs that separate the introduction, reasons, availability, and sign-off. Cohesive devices such as 'For example' and 'However' are used appropriately to guide the reader. However, the overall organisation is basic, and some ideas are repetitive, such as mentioning cleaning and cooking in both the first and second paragraphs. Paragraphing is generally functional, but the short length limits the sophistication of cohesion. This performance fits the Band 6.0 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, featuring common household terms like 'cleaning', 'cooking', 'shopping', and 'dishes'. However, the range is quite limited and repetitive. There are also capitalization errors ('Writing', 'Also') and simple word choices that lack precision. Less common lexical items are largely absent. Because the vocabulary is minimally adequate for communication despite these limitations, a score of 5.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate control over simple sentence structures and attempt some complex forms, such as conditional and concessive clauses using 'because' and 'However'. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including missing subjects in clauses ('can help you', 'will be available'), incorrect lowercase letters at the start of sentences ('will be'), and stray capitalization ('Mrs. Barrett,' with an unnecessary comma break). These errors do not seriously impede understanding, reflecting the characteristics of Band 6.0.

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

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