Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-11
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 friend,
I hope your are doing well.It has been ages since we last met. Being a friend, I would suggest you to find a suitable job rather than studying in a college.
The reason behind this is that the college life would be herculian task for u as it requires expenses , which will not be yours cup of tea.Predominately, You will face issues in terms of study as well , which demands extra time .
Acquiring a job is a practical way for earning handsome money.By involving yourself in job sector , you will get experience.
There are multifarious jobs such as receptionist, banker and the accountant, these can be attained by you easily as you are graduated in this field.
At the end , I know you will focus on my advice and will take an appropriate decision.
Thanks
Jagroop kaur.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points: reasons for avoiding college, benefits of working, and job suggestions. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the score. The ideas are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the explanation regarding college expenses and the 'herculean task' is vague and lacks sufficient detail to fully support the advice. While the tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, the brevity prevents a more thorough exploration of the points, leading to a limited development of ideas. To improve, you should expand on your reasoning with specific examples or personal anecdotes to meet the length requirement and provide a more convincing argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter follows a basic structure, but the paragraphing is insufficient. The entire body of the letter is presented as a single block, which hinders readability. While there is a logical progression from the introduction to the advice and the conclusion, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical (e.g., 'Predominately', 'At the end'). The transition between ideas is functional but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, ensure you use clear paragraph breaks for each new point and employ a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have attempted to use some more sophisticated vocabulary, such as 'herculean' and 'multifarious', but these are not always used in the correct context or with natural collocation. For example, 'herculean task' is a bit dramatic for this context, and 'job sector' is slightly unnatural. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'yours cup of tea' (should be 'your cup of tea') and 'you are graduated' (should be 'you have graduated'). The range is adequate for the task, but the inaccuracies in collocation and word form limit the score. Focus on using vocabulary that you are confident is natural in everyday English.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including punctuation issues (e.g., 'well.It'), missing articles ('in college', 'in job sector'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('your are doing'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To reach a higher band, you need to proofread for basic errors such as missing articles, correct verb tenses, and proper punctuation. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will also help improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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