Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-20

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 Asad,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I received your letter yesterday. Me and my family are doing well. I hope you are doing well too. I know you are in dilemma whether to go to college or get a job. I can understand it is tough for you to take any decision especially after your father's death. All the responsibilities of your family fall on your shoulder now.

I suggest you to look for a job by which you can support your family. As far as your education is concern I advice to take admission in some private institute or join a institute that offer evening classes. It is a good idea to keep both things together. By doing this you can support your family and bear your expenses as well as your education will not effect.

Furthermore, you have just done matriculation so unfortunately you are not able to get good job. However, you can apply for the job of salesman or cash counter. By this you will get experience too. I look forward to receive good news from you.

Yours sincerely,

Waqas Mehmood.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt, providing reasons why college might be difficult, the benefits of working, and specific job suggestions. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, you suggest evening classes, which contradicts your initial advice to focus on a job, creating a slight inconsistency in your position. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully extended and logically consistent throughout the letter. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the communication is clear.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore' and 'However' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical phrasing and some awkward transitions between sentences. For example, the shift from discussing family responsibilities to suggesting evening classes feels a bit abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences flow more naturally into one another to create a more cohesive narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'responsibilities', 'expenses', and 'matriculation'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'take admission' (should be 'enroll'), 'keep both things together' (should be 'balance both'), and 'effect' used instead of 'affect'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit your score. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and the correct usage of verbs in academic or professional contexts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'Me and my family' (should be 'My family and I'), 'in dilemma' (should be 'in a dilemma'), 'is concern' (should be 'is concerned'), and 'I advice' (should be 'I advise'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To achieve a higher band, you need to improve your control over basic grammar, particularly subject-verb agreement and the distinction between nouns and verbs.

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

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