Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-21

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 MaryAnn,

I hope you are doing well, how is your parents. I am writing this letter to give an advice for your career.In my point of view this advice will help to get correct decision for starting new pathway.

I suggested you to go for a job , this will help to turn your achievements immediately. I remember your favourite subject in our graduation was banking and you scored A grade for that subject.

You can apply Bank job through their own website. This is wonderful opportunity to build new career and earning for your day to day life. There were number of vacancy I saw from bank websites. If you need I will add one of the website you need to apply . Check it below the link and if you need any help or doubt . Please let me know.

Love you dear, see you soon.

Regards,

Sofia lusaga.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points, but the development is quite thin. You mention why a job is a good idea and suggest banking, but you fail to explain why she would not enjoy college, which is a key requirement of the prompt. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend, but the lack of depth regarding the college aspect limits the score. To improve, ensure each bullet point is given a full sentence or two of explanation to demonstrate a clear position and provide sufficient support for your advice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is short and lacks clear paragraphing, which makes the flow feel somewhat disjointed. While there is a basic logical progression from the greeting to the advice and the closing, the transition between ideas is abrupt. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'I remember' and 'If you need', but the overall structure is quite mechanical. To reach a higher band, you should organize your thoughts into distinct paragraphs—one for each bullet point—and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use some relevant terms like 'career', 'achievements', and 'vacancy', but there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'turn your achievements immediately' and 'earning for your day to day life'. These choices slightly impede the natural flow of the letter. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and idiomatic expressions suitable for an informal letter. Expanding your range of vocabulary will help you express your advice more naturally and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors throughout the text that affect readability. For example, 'how is your parents' should be 'how are your parents', and 'I suggested you to go' should be 'I suggest you go'. Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as missing spaces after periods and incorrect sentence fragments like 'Check it below the link and if you need any help or doubt'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and sentence structure to improve your accuracy.

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

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