Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job.

Write a letter to this friend. In your letter

• say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
• explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
• suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Ana,

I hope you are doing well. I receieved you letter about whether to join a college or to get a job. Honestly, i believe that you should try to find a job instead of getting into the college. You are a studious person and your studies are enough as a beginner in corporate sector.

The reason why i am asking you to get a job in a company to get an experience of worklife balance. It would give you an exposure and experience of it.

There are number of jobs that are more suitable for you according to your academic background such as data scientist, data analyst, software developer, business analyst and production analyser. These jobs require abstract and critical data analysing skills which suits you better. The final decision would be yours I have given my advice depending on your strengths and abilities. I am hoping that you will make your decision wisely.

Best regards

Priyanka

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you advise Ana to seek work, and you give several job options that relate to her academic background. However, the task asks you to explain why she would not enjoy college, and this point is not really addressed. Saying she is “a studious person” and that her studies are “enough” does not explain what she might dislike about college. The benefits of employment are also only briefly stated: gaining “experience of worklife balance” and exposure to work are relevant, but need clearer explanation of how these would help her. Develop each point with a specific reason or example, while keeping your recommendation clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: you greet your friend, state your recommendation, give reasons and job suggestions, and close appropriately. The ideas are generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “The reason why” and “There are number of jobs” signal the purpose of each section. However, the progression is somewhat abrupt: the college point is not developed before the letter moves to employment, and the final decision sentence runs into the next idea without clear punctuation. Use separate, focused paragraphs for the college explanation, job benefits and suitable roles, and connect them with natural transitions. This would make the organisation feel less mechanical and the relationships between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a personal letter and include relevant employment vocabulary, such as “corporate sector,” “academic background,” “data analyst” and “critical data analysing skills.” These choices help communicate the kind of work you have in mind. Some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, however, including “an exposure and experience of it,” “worklife balance,” and “production analyser.” There are also spelling and word-choice slips, such as “receieved” and “analyser,” which reduce precision. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling: for example, explain that a job would give her practical experience and exposure to a professional workplace. More precise phrasing would make your advice sound clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some more developed structures, including “There are number of jobs that are more suitable for you according to your academic background.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “I receieved you letter” needs a possessive determiner, and “There are number of jobs” needs an article. In “These jobs require … skills which suits you better,” the relative clause has an agreement problem. The final sentence, “The final decision would be yours I have given my advice,” also needs punctuation or a linking word to separate its clauses. Practise articles, agreement and sentence boundaries, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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.