Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-16
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 4.5)
Dear Nancy ,
I hope your are doing well I know you are confused whether you should attend a college or find a job but I want suggest you should attend the college and find a course which you are interested in which will a great help for you in your future because in this competitive era you need a stable opportunity with good benefits instead working on low wage job because right now can work on find job on gas station or and supermarket but you are not able to get office job in good companies .
Moreover, After your completely college you can easily find great opportunities which can help you to achieve a better future. I suggest you should complete your study in college then apply for job because then you can more opportunities and i hope you find my letter soon and I am waiting for your response .
Your faithful,
Simran.
Your faithful
Simran
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
You were asked to advise your friend to get a job rather than go to college, covering why college would not be enjoyed, why a job is a good idea, and suitable job types. However, you contradicted the core premise of the prompt by writing that "you should attend the college and find a course," which directly contradicts the instructions stating you should think he/she should get a job. Because your position on the main topic is contradictory and confusing, you have only partially addressed the specific bullet points required by the task. To achieve a higher band score in Task Achievement, ensure that your stated position completely aligns with the scenario given in the prompt from start to finish.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
Your letter is structured into two overly long and dense paragraphs, making it difficult for the reader to follow your progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused; for example, you connect long clauses with repetitive conjunctions like "and" and run-on structures without proper full stops or punctuation pauses. Phrases like "Moreover, After your completely college you can easily find..." show clumsy transitions. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, you should break your response down into clear, logical paragraphs with distinct functions, such as an introduction, a paragraph explaining your main advice, and a concluding sign-off.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
Your vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive throughout the letter, featuring frequent lexical choices that are unnatural or imprecise. For example, you write "competitive era," "stable opportunity with good benefits," and "working on low wage job." There are also awkward word forms, such as writing "After your completely college" instead of "After completing college" or "After you complete college." While your meaning is occasionally understandable, the range of vocabulary is limited and includes noticeable collocation errors that restrict your score to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
Your grammatical range is heavily restricted, consisting mostly of extremely long, convoluted run-on sentences that lack proper punctuation and control. You missed basic punctuation marks, such as starting your letter with "I hope your are doing well I know you are confused..." without any commas or periods separating independent clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors, including verb tense and agreement mistakes like "you are not able to get office job" (missing an article) and "Your faithful" at the end instead of "Yours faithfully." The frequency of these errors impedes the flow of reading and demonstrates limited control over complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.