Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-11

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 6.5)

Dear Mrs Barrett,

I am writing with regards to an advertisement I saw for home help which you published few days ago

My name is Hooria Zahid and I live in the same town where you live. Regarding the advertisement for house help in next summer, I would love to volunteer to help you out in house chores. I can do both cooking and cleaning. And I am also expert in decorating the home if you want any help regarding that.

The next summer I have some holidays and I do not want to waste my time doing nothing. I will be really delighted if I could help someone in need without any compensation.

The only hurdle is that, I will have some make-up classes on Monday and Tuesday, so I would not be able to come on those days. Otherwise, rest of the days I am available and will be very happy to help.

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Yours faithfully,

Hooria Zahid

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you offer cooking, cleaning and decorating, explain that you want to use your holiday productively and help without payment, and state that you are unavailable on Mondays and Tuesdays but free on the other days. These details make your purpose and availability easy to understand. The reasons for wanting the work are relevant, although they could be developed further—for example, you might explain what you hope to gain from helping or why these household tasks suit you. The offer is also quite broad; a brief example of your experience or the hours you could work would make it more convincing. Overall, the letter fulfils the task with a clear, consistent message, while some ideas could be extended more specifically.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear progression: you introduce the advertisement, describe the help you can offer, explain your motivation, and then clarify your availability. This order is logical and makes the message straightforward to follow. Paragraphing also separates the main purposes effectively, and phrases such as “Regarding the advertisement” and “The only hurdle” help signal transitions. To make the organisation more polished, connect a few short statements rather than beginning a sentence with “And” after “I can do both cooking and cleaning.” The opening could also be punctuated as a complete sentence before moving to your introduction. Overall, the progression is clear and cohesive, though some linking and sentence boundaries could be handled more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the letter and communicates the main points, with useful task-related terms such as “cooking,” “cleaning,” “make-up classes” and “available.” You also attempt more expressive phrases, including “I would be really delighted” and “without any compensation.” However, some choices are unnatural or imprecise: “with regards to” is less suitable here than “regarding,” “house chores” is better expressed as “household chores,” and “expert in decorating the home” overstates your ability unless you have professional expertise. “Volunteer” may also suggest unpaid formal service, so “offer to help” would sound more natural. Aim for precise, natural collocations rather than adding formal-sounding phrases; this will make the letter more fluent and appropriately personal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed structures, including “I will be really delighted if I could help someone in need” and the sentence explaining your classes and availability. Meaning remains clear throughout, and several sentences are grammatically controlled. Some errors remain, however. In the opening, “I saw for home help which you published few days ago” needs an article before “few days,” and the sentence lacks final punctuation. In “I would love to volunteer to help you out in house chores,” the article is missing before “house chores.” The conditional “I will be really delighted if I could help” also mixes forms; “I would be delighted if I could help” is more consistent. Greater accuracy with articles, conditional forms and punctuation would strengthen an already understandable range.

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

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