Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-09

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)

Fatima,

hope you re doing well.

I recieved your letter, according to me you should try to find a job instead of going to college because there are many jobs where you can gain your experience and earn some money to help your brother for his schooling as your family situation is not stable so this is best option for you.

although, when you get a job you can manage your expensives accordingly. moreover, i heard that your father is not doing well and you can help him too in his medical treatment instead of going college and send more more money.

before joining college there are many job opportunities in railway, bank clerk, police constable. as you have good height you may apply for police constable where you get good pay and easy job. later on you can join your college.

hoping for best for you. stay happy and strong

your loving

jasdeeo sharma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining why college might not be suitable, the benefits of working, and suggesting specific job types. Your position is clear throughout the letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the family's financial situation, the explanation of why college would be a negative experience is quite brief. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your reasoning with more depth. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend, though it leans slightly towards being overly direct in some places.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'although', 'moreover', and 'before joining', which help to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and the punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with the use of capital letters at the start of sentences and the use of commas. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring consistent paragraph structure would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'opportunities', 'stable', and 'treatment'. However, there are some errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'recieved' (received) and 'expensives' (expenses). You also rely on some repetitive phrasing. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and ensure accurate spelling. The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in railway'), incorrect verb forms, and capitalization errors (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'). Punctuation is also problematic, with several run-on sentences and a lack of full stops. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of your writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for punctuation will help improve your score.

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

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