Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 this letter regarding the job you advertised in local newspaper recently.My name is Mansi and my address is 321 Model town, Abbotsford.I am a student and i am studying my secondary school education.

However, I came to know that you are looking for a kitchen cook and a person who will look after your child.Hence , i worked as a line cook in the restaurant and meanwhile i have an experience of childcare too. Furthermore ,i also have certification of chlidcare educational because i did 6 months course training in it.In addition, i am very good at making different kinds of dishes national as well as international food.

Apart from this, i will be available in the evening time because in the morning i have my classes.Moreover,i can work obly 24 hours as an international student.Thank you for your time and consideration.I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Mansi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main points by describing relevant experience in cooking and childcare, explaining that you want work around your studies, and giving an evening availability. However, the task asks how you could help Mrs Barrett in her home, while you refer to a “kitchen cook” and looking after “your child” without clearly describing the household help you can provide. Your reason for wanting the work is also only implied by mentioning your classes; explain directly why the job appeals to you, such as gaining experience or earning money alongside your studies. The availability is incomplete: “only 24 hours” is unclear, and you do not say which days or times you cannot work. These omissions leave some parts less fully addressed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, a paragraph about your experience, and a closing that states availability and thanks the reader. This makes the overall message easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “In addition,” and “Apart from this.” At times, however, these connectors feel mechanical or are used where a simpler transition would be clearer. The experience paragraph combines several points in a long sequence, while the reason for applying is not separated or clearly developed. Organising the letter around the three requested points—help you can offer, your motivation, and your schedule—would create a more logical progression and make the connections between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate relevant experience, including “line cook,” “childcare,” “certification,” and “international food.” These choices show an attempt to be specific rather than relying only on basic terms. However, several word choices and spelling errors reduce precision, such as “kitchen cook,” “childcare educational,” and “chlidcare.” “Different kinds of dishes national as well as international food” is also awkward and unclear. The phrase “work obly 24 hours” contains a spelling error and does not clearly express the intended limit. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe the duties you can perform using clear phrases such as preparing meals and supervising a child.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including “I am writing this letter regarding…” and a sentence beginning “because in the morning…”. The main message is generally understandable, but errors in sentence boundaries, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make it less smooth. For example, “recently.My name” needs a space and clearer punctuation, while “i am studying my secondary school education” has an awkward grammatical structure. In “i have an experience of childcare too,” the article is unnecessary, and the sentence beginning “Hence” does not connect cleanly to the previous idea. Capitalise “I” consistently and use complete, clearly punctuated sentences. More accurate control of these patterns would make your varied sentence attempts easier to read.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.