Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 your recent advertisement for a house help that will help out in house chores for few hours a day next summer.

I am very available and competent to do the work needed at your house next summer. I am physically fit no carry out my daily tasks at your home if i am being employed, i have live with my sister since i am a teenager, that gave me numerous experience in handling chores. Which i will apply in my daily activities at your home to give you the best.

I will be free next summer because i be done with my high school exams. I want to use this my free period to work and earn money for myself.

I will always be available from 8am daily to 5am daily. Except on Sundays that i will report by 1pm, after church service.

King regards,

Howell Howell.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you describe experience with household chores, explain that you want to earn money after your exams, and give a daily schedule with a Sunday exception. These details make the letter relevant, but the help you could provide remains general; naming specific tasks such as cleaning, cooking, or shopping would answer the first point more fully. The availability is also unclear because you say “8am daily to 5am daily,” which appears to give an unusual end time, and “next summer” is not tied to particular dates or weeks. The reason for wanting the work is understandable but brief. Clarifying these details and developing each point would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, paragraphs for experience and motivation, and a final paragraph about availability. This helps the reader identify the main points. However, progression within the second paragraph is difficult to follow: the sentence beginning “I am physically fit” combines several ideas, then “Which I will apply…” is left as a fragment. The transition from experience to availability could also be smoother, and the schedule would be clearer if presented in a direct, consistent form. The closing is present, but the sign-off is misspelled. Use shorter sentences to separate your qualifications, motivation, and schedule, and connect them with simple, accurate linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “advertisement,” “competent,” “physically fit,” and “experience.” However, the range is limited and some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which can make the letter less clear. “House help” and “help out in house chores” are not natural choices for this context; “domestic assistant” and “help with household chores” would be more idiomatic. “Numerous experience” is also an incorrect combination, and “daily activities at your home” is vague. There are spelling or word-form problems in “King regards” and “no carry out.” Aim for precise household-task vocabulary and check common collocations and spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, but control is inconsistent, and errors frequently affect clarity. For example, “I am physically fit no carry out my daily tasks” has an incorrect verb construction; write “physically fit to carry out.” In “I have live with my sister,” the present perfect form is incorrect, and “Which I will apply…” is a sentence fragment. The sentence about being free also needs a correct verb form: “I will be done with my high school exams.” Capitalisation is inconsistent in “i,” and the availability sentence needs clearer grammatical phrasing. Most sentences rely on basic patterns, so practise accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses without joining unrelated ideas.

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

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