Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-14

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 Steve,

Hello dear how are? Its been long time. So how are things with.

Well I just received your letter regarding you want to go college or you wish to do a job. As I see from my point of view getting a job is good idea because first of all you will be working and will get more experience day by day and will have some kind skills.

Now days young generation wants to work and want to remove there own expenses, reason they do not want to be a burden on there family or friends thy want to be self made person. So rather going to college its better to find a good job.

The type of job which I suggest is working in mobile shop, reason now days its a technology world so I would suggest to work in big companies like "APPLE COMPANY" which will give benefit and the skill will get improved.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points, though the development is quite limited. You explain why a job is beneficial and suggest a specific type of work. However, the first bullet point—explaining why he would not enjoy college—is largely ignored, as you focus almost exclusively on the benefits of working rather than the drawbacks of higher education. To improve, ensure each part of the prompt is given equal weight and developed with more specific reasoning. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, but the content needs more depth to fully satisfy the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and sometimes mechanical. Phrases like 'first of all' and 'reason' are used, but there is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas smoothly. The opening is quite fragmented, with short, repetitive sentences that lack logical flow. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using a wider variety of transition signals to link your sentences and ideas more naturally, rather than relying on simple, repetitive structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. You use simple terms like 'good idea', 'work', and 'job' repeatedly. There are also some errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'there' instead of 'their' and 'thy' instead of 'they'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is insufficient to express more complex ideas or nuances. To improve, try to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a broader range of vocabulary appropriate for an informal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('go college'), incorrect verb forms ('you want to go college or you wish to do a job'), and punctuation issues. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Errors such as 'now days' (nowadays) and 'rather going' (rather than going) impede the flow of the writing. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of prepositions and articles.

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

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