Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-15

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 would like to introduce myself first , this is Aanchal who recently done a diploma in hospitality hotel and restaurant and seeking for a placement and i saw you advertisement for a helper in your home and i would like to assist you with your household chores.

As i mentioned earlier, i am looking for a placement so it would be helpful for me in that by doing volunteer for you also engage in new environment will enchance my communication and problem solving skills.Moreover,i want to engage in volunteer rather sitting on a couch whole summer.

In addition to that, i want to inform you that i will be available on evenings as i will enroll in swimming classes which will be in the mornings so, i can help you for preparing dinner and other household chores for you.

I appreciate if i could hear back from you.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three main points: you offer help with household chores, explain that the work would provide experience and help develop communication and problem-solving skills, and state that evenings suit you because of morning swimming classes. These details make your purpose clear. However, the offer of help remains general: “household chores” and “preparing dinner” could be expanded with specific tasks, and your availability is not fully explained because you do not say which days or dates you can work, or whether there are any evenings you cannot attend. The reason for wanting the work is relevant but could be expressed more clearly and developed. A more complete, specific response to each point would strengthen the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally understandable order: you introduce yourself and offer help, explain your motivation, then describe your schedule and close by asking for a reply. Paragraphing helps distinguish these purposes. Linking phrases such as “Moreover” and “In addition to that” show how ideas relate, although the latter is somewhat mechanical, and the opening sentence contains several ideas joined together, making the progression harder to follow. Some references are also unclear, particularly “it would be helpful for me in that,” where the reader has to infer what “that” refers to. Use shorter, more focused sentences and clearer links between your experience, motivation, and proposed duties to make the organisation smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “household chores,” “placement,” “communication,” and “problem solving skills,” so the reader can understand your main points. There are also attempts to use more specific expressions, such as “preparing dinner.” However, several choices or forms are unnatural or imprecise: “done a diploma” and “engage in volunteer” do not express your meaning idiomatically, while “sitting on a couch whole summer” sounds too informal for a letter to a prospective employer. Spelling errors such as “enchance” and “advertisement” used as “you advertisement” also affect accuracy. Build a more reliable range of natural phrases for describing qualifications, duties, and motivation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, for example by explaining that evening availability is linked to morning swimming classes. However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the reader work to understand the message. Examples include “this is Aanchal who recently done a diploma,” which needs a correctly formed verb and clearer sentence structure, and “i will enroll in swimming classes which will be in the mornings so, i can help,” where clause boundaries and punctuation are not controlled. Capitalisation and spacing around punctuation are also inconsistent. Practise accurate past and present verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries, then check each sentence for a clear subject and main verb. More accurate control of these structures would make your meaning easier to follow.

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

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