Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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,

Hope you are doing well.

I saw your advertisement regarding for help at your home for few hours a day in the next summer.

My name Sebin and I am living opposit to your building. I am very happy to help you during the summer. I am very familer with all household activites such as cleaning, cooking, plumbing and any kind of electrical works.

Firstly, I would like to know more about what kind of help are you looking for? and why you would like to do only during the summer times. If you could explain the work before the summer, I could able to arrange the required items for that particular help.

Secondly, I am planning to go to banff for the summer vecation at the end of August. I will only come back after 5 days. I would like to know the date are you looking for the help.

Thanks for your attention to this matter.

Faithfully

Sebin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose by offering help with household tasks, explaining that you live nearby, and mentioning a summer trip that affects your availability. The examples of cleaning and cooking make your offer relevant, but the task asks you to suggest how you could help, and listing plumbing and electrical work is less clearly tailored to ordinary home assistance. Your reason for wanting the work is also only partly explained: “I am very happy to help” expresses willingness, but not why you want the job. Availability remains unclear because you give a trip at the end of August without stating your usual days or hours, and you ask Mrs Barrett to provide the dates. Develop these points more directly and clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening, paragraphs introduced by “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and a closing. This helps the reader follow the offer, your questions, and your travel plans. However, the progression is not always smooth. The first paragraph moves from your location to your willingness and then to a broad list of skills, while the next paragraph focuses on questions rather than developing your offer. “Firstly” and “Secondly” provide basic signposting, but the links feel somewhat mechanical, and the question about why Mrs Barrett needs help only in summer interrupts the purpose of your letter. Group your proposed duties, motivation, and availability into a clearer sequence, and use transitions that show how each point relates to the request.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “advertisement,” “household activities,” “cleaning,” and “electrical works.” The range is relevant to the task, but several spelling and word-choice errors make the language less precise, such as “opposit,” “familer,” “activites,” and “vecation.” Some phrases are also unnatural or unclear, including “regarding for help” and “during the summer times.” The list of “plumbing” and “electrical works” is specific, but may sound less appropriate than everyday domestic duties unless you clarify your experience. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling; this will make your offer sound more confident and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example, “If you could explain the work before the summer, I could able to arrange the required items.” This conditional shows an effort to connect ideas, but the verb pattern is faulty: use “I could arrange” or “I would be able to arrange.” Other errors include “My name Sebin,” which needs “My name is Sebin,” and “I would like to know the date are you looking for,” where the indirect question needs a statement word order: “the date you are looking for.” The question beginning “what kind of help are you looking for?” also needs correct punctuation and structure within the sentence. These errors do not prevent understanding, but more accurate sentence patterns and a wider range of controlled structures would improve clarity.

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

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