Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-23

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 Mira,

How are you? I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to give some advice about get a job.

First of all, I would think college is so boring because teacher gives many assignments and presentations. Also,some students are immature . They do not have proper knowledge about how to interact with other pupils.

I would think that getting a job is a good for you because it helps to improve your knowledge and also improve your communication skill with other. The most important thing is it helps to improve your financial saving.

Also, I would suggest that some temparary job is suitable for you because you are first time try to do any job so, this types of jobs very helpful for you to improve your job related knowlwdge . Such as, accounting ,seller in shop and many other jobs.

I hope my advice would be helpful for you and you get a good job in your life and make your future brighter.

Yours lovingly,

Miral.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully mention why your friend might not enjoy college by pointing out that 'teacher gives many assignments and presentations'. You also explain why getting a job is beneficial by noting that 'it helps to improve your knowledge and also improve your communication skill' and your 'financial saving'. Furthermore, you suggest suitable types of jobs, such as 'accounting' and being a 'seller in shop'. However, some of these ideas are slightly underdeveloped and expressed rather simply. While all three parts of the task are clearly addressed with an appropriate informal tone and a consistent opening, the development lacks depth. For instance, the reasons given for disliking college are quite brief. Therefore, this performance meets the criteria for Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter maintains a clear overall arrangement with an appropriate informal greeting ('Dear Mira,') and sign-off ('Yours lovingly, Miral.'). The response is organised into logical paragraphs, each addressing a distinct part of the prompt, such as the critique of college in the second paragraph and the benefits of work in the third. Cohesive devices like 'First of all', 'Also', and 'The most important thing' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, but paragraphing could be tighter in places to improve the flow between sentences. Overall, the structural progression is adequate for a Band 6 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You attempt some less common vocabulary items such as 'immature', 'interact', and 'financial saving'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'give some advice about get a job' instead of 'getting a job', and 'seller in shop' instead of 'shop assistant' or 'retail worker'. Spelling issues also appear, such as 'temparary' and 'knowlwdge'. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your main points without causing major strain for the reader, placing this performance at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing this letter to give some advice...' and 'I would think that getting a job is a good for you because it helps...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('a good for you' instead of 'good for you'), incorrect prepositional usage ('first time try to do'), and tense/form inconsistencies ('teacher gives' instead of 'teachers give'). Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as spacing before commas. Although these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to restrict the score to Band 5.

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

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