Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-04

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 saw your advertisement that you need a person help you in your home.I am interested in this work.

I am expert in cooking and know about make different meals.So, I prepared food in your home and also help in cleaning the rooms.

I am part time student and I need money to pay my tution fees. In my leisure time I do this work for earning money. I have more experience in this field.

In the weekends I am available from 10 am to 3.30 pm at this time i do work. On monday and tuesday i busy in my studies. so, i do help you at this time. this is my contact no. [redacted phone] i waiting for your call.

Yours sincerely

Ranjeet singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response only partially addresses the requirements of the task. While you manage to touch upon all bullet points—suggesting help with cooking and cleaning, explaining your need for money for tuition fees, and outlining your availability on weekends—the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, your explanation of when you will and will not be available is slightly confusing and lacks clear detail regarding your weekday commitments. Furthermore, it is important to note that your response falls short of the required minimum length of 150 words, totaling only 128 words. To reach a higher level, you need to fully develop your ideas with more specific details and ensure you write at least the minimum word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation in your letter, with separate paragraphs attempting to handle different parts of the prompt, such as your introduction, your proposed help, your reasons, and your availability. However, there is no clear overall progression linking your thoughts smoothly. Cohesive devices are generally inadequate, repetitive, or missing altogether, and transitions between sentences feel abrupt, as seen when jumping straight from your tuition needs into your work habits. Paragraphing is also somewhat erratic, with short, choppy blocks of text. To improve, you should use a wider variety of appropriate linking words and ensure your sentences flow logically from one to the next to guide the reader seamlessly through your letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is limited but minimally adequate for the task. You use basic terms to convey your message, such as 'advertisement', 'cooking', and 'cleaning'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, such as the incorrect verb form in 'know about make different meals' and the awkward phrasing 'have more experience in this field'. Spelling and word-choice errors, like 'tution' instead of 'tuition' and 'earning money', appear throughout the text, and while they do not completely prevent understanding, they do cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, you should incorporate a wider range of less common vocabulary and pay closer attention to correct word forms, collocations, and accurate spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammatical range is quite limited, relying mostly on simple sentence structures. When you attempt more complex sentences or clauses, they are often faulty, as demonstrated by missing prepositions and incorrect verbs in phrases like 'you need a person help you' and 'i busy in my studies'. Frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization (such as starting sentences and the pronoun 'i' in lowercase), and subject-verb agreement persist throughout the letter. These errors cause frequent difficulty and strain for the reader. To improve, you need to demonstrate a greater variety of grammatical structures while drastically reducing basic punctuation and verb-form errors to make your writing much more accurate.

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

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