Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-17

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 Simran,

I hope you are doing well ! I felt very glad to see your letter. I think it is good idea for her if they will find jobs. Due to this, they can gain mor experience also become independent in her life. Collage life is stressful life because you are doing only study there but you do not get any experience . I remember you have keen interest in marketing and trade . You can find job in these sectors because it is benficial for you as well as good earning source.So, You can also fulfil your dreams to become a succssful person in your life . After having some experience, you can also start your business. I think this is best opportunity for you to choose it . I feel very proud on you . I hope you undestand and give me good news when you will find your job . We will celebrate this day together.

Your's lovely,

Arshdeep kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task well. You successfully mentioned why college might not be enjoyable by stating that 'Collage life is stressful life because you are doing only study there but you do not get any experience.' You also explained why getting a job is a good idea, noting that 'they can gain mor experience also become independent in her life.' Furthermore, you suggested suitable types of jobs by pointing out 'marketing and trade' sectors. However, there are some noticeable inconsistencies in pronoun use and referencing throughout the letter, such as shifting from addressing your friend Simran to using 'she' and 'they', which slightly detracts from the clarity of the personal tone, placing this performance at a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter maintains a clear overall arrangement with a recognizable opening and closing structure, consistent with a personal letter format. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Due to this,' 'also,' and 'After having some experience,' which help link your ideas together. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped; the entire body of the letter is lumped into a single dense block of text rather than being broken down into logical paragraphs for different points. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronouns like 'she' and 'they' when addressing a single individual named Simran. Because of these organizational and cohesive limitations, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your core advice and suggestions. You attempt some less common items related to the topic, such as 'independent', 'marketing', 'trade', and 'succssful'. However, there are several spelling errors ('Collage' instead of college, 'mor' instead of more, 'benficial' instead of beneficial, 'succssful' instead of successful) and minor word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'good earning source' instead of 'good source of income'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 6.5, making a Band 6.0 a fair and accurate reflection of your range and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I remember you have keen interest in marketing and trade' and 'After having some experience, you can also start your business.' There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including 'it is good idea for her if they will find jobs' (inaccurate verb tense and pronoun usage) and 'I feel very proud on you' (incorrect preposition). Punctuation and spacing errors around commas and exclamation marks are also present. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing your grammar performance at a Band 5.0.

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

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