Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-18

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

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

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

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear Aman,

Hope you doing well, I am very glad to see you everytime as you know nowadays work plays vital role in our life so I suggest you that you have to do your job as you do not enjoy to going to college because of too many lectures in the class feel more boring instead of this going to job is better idea as you enjoy with your colleagues doing teamwork and earn more and more by developing new ideas in work.

Moreover, I suggest you to work as administrative in a company because they paid you well as one of my another friend doing that job .

Lastly, I recommend to that job with full of your efficiency and proper way by take advice from your manager and co workers as they command you how to do work in a proper way and with time management.

Thank you have a bright future ahead.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: why college might not be enjoyable, the benefits of working, and suggestions for suitable roles. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. The explanation regarding college is brief and repetitive, and the suggestion for an 'administrative' role lacks specific detail or context. While the tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, the ideas are not fully extended or supported, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, you should provide more concrete examples or personal anecdotes to flesh out your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks clear paragraphing, which makes the text appear as a single block. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes awkward, such as the repetitive use of 'as' and 'and'. The transition between ideas is often abrupt, and the lack of clear paragraph breaks makes it difficult for the reader to follow the structure of your argument. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly improve the readability and logical flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'earn more and more' and 'in a proper way' are simplistic and lack the precision expected at higher levels. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'they paid you well' (should be 'they pay well') and 'command you how to do work' (should be 'instruct you on how to work'). To improve, focus on using more varied and precise vocabulary related to career and education, and ensure that your word choices are grammatically and contextually accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('Hope you doing well' instead of 'Hope you are doing well'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms ('as you do not enjoy to going to college'). The sentence structures are often run-on sentences, lacking proper punctuation to separate distinct thoughts. While you attempt to use complex structures, they are often faulty. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring correct verb tenses will help you achieve a higher score.

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

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