Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 hope you are doing well. I'm writing this letter to let you know that I saw your advertisment in which you mentioned that you need some help in your home for a few hours a day next summer. I want to let you know that I'll be availble to help you.

As mostly I work as a online store business owner, I have plently of time left on my hands to spare. I work mostly early morning and it involves online meeting and getting updates from my team and after an hour or two of work I'm free most of the day. I'm also very handy with tools and knows the work of electrician and pumbling as I do many of these stuff at my home myself.

When I saw your advertisment I immediately recognized that your are Sara's mother and I know you very well. I and Sara were best of friends in high school and I have visited your house many times, I don't know if you remember me or not. I want to say that I'm availble to help you in your house anytime you want.

This saturday I have a meeting with one of my clients and that I'll be back by 3PM in the afternoon. I would love to visit your home and disucss what I can help you with. Mostly I'm always available in the afternoon after 1PM.

I wish you all the best and give Sara my warm regards.

Yours faithfully,

Azeem

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you offer help with household tasks, explain that your work leaves you free, and give availability information. The practical skills you mention, such as electrical repairs and plumbing, make the offer relevant. However, some details are less fully developed or clear. “Anytime you want” conflicts with your later statement that you are usually available after 1 p.m., and the Saturday meeting is described without a date or clear connection to your regular schedule. The reference to knowing Mrs Barrett through Sara is personable, but could be more concise so you can explain more precisely what help you can provide and your usual working hours. Clarifying these points would make the letter more complete and purposeful.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, paragraphs about your work and skills, your connection to Mrs Barrett, and your availability, followed by an appropriate closing. This makes the main information accessible. However, progression is not always smooth: the paragraph beginning “When I saw your advertisment” repeats that you are available, then the next paragraph gives a more specific schedule. The Saturday meeting detail also interrupts the explanation of your usual availability. Some links between ideas are awkward, particularly “As mostly I work…” and “and that I'll be back.” Grouping your skills and proposed duties together, then presenting your regular and exceptional availability in a clear order, would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including relevant terms such as “online meeting,” “tools,” and “team.” However, the range is limited in places, and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make the letter less natural. Examples include “advertisment,” “availble,” “plently,” and “pumbling”; “online store business owner” is also an awkward phrase. “Do many of these stuff” is imprecise, while “work in your home” or “household tasks” would suit the context better. Aim for accurate, natural expressions rather than adding complexity: describing specific duties such as minor repairs, cleaning, or shopping would also make your offer more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors, however, recur and occasionally make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “As mostly I work as a online store business owner” has an awkward clause structure and article use; “I'm also very handy with tools and knows” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “I and Sara were best of friends” uses an incorrect subject form. The sentence about Saturday—“and that I'll be back by 3PM”—is also not well connected to the preceding clause. Practise building clear sentences with one main idea, checking agreement and articles, and using punctuation to separate complete thoughts.

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

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