Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-02

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 Milap,

Hope you are doing great, I am also good here . I am writing this letter for giving you advice about whether you have to join college or try to get a job. From my prospectus, I would like to suggest you that you have to choose job instead of going to college. Early, I was also planned to join a college and I get admission in top notch college but when I go there teachers usually came and give the short lecture. I feel so boring at that time.

Actually, I suggest you to get a job is a great idea because the company gave you a specific amount of salary which will help you to be independent. Secondly , in many of the company there are chances to go aboard if you will do a great job, get some bonus on festivals and get permotion .

Moreover, I know that you will do a great job ,So I suggested to you give resume in multi national company which will suit on the working hours and income

Looking forward for your reply as soon as possible

Best Regards,

Kiran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully cover all parts of the prompt by explaining why college might not be enjoyable, why getting a job is a good idea, and suggesting suitable types of work. Your position is clear throughout the letter, and the tone is appropriately informal. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, your explanation of why your friend would not enjoy college relies on a single personal anecdote about short lectures and feeling bored, rather than being fully explored. Similarly, the job suggestions remain a bit general when you mention looking for a multinational company. To move to a higher level, you should extend and support your ideas with greater depth and detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your letter shows a coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning and ending, and you use basic paragraphing to separate your main points, such as discussing college first and then moving on to employment. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. You rely on transitional markers like 'Actually' and 'Secondly' to link your ideas, but referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the opening sentence where the link between 'I am also good here' and the context feels a bit disjointed. To achieve a stronger score, you need to ensure that your ideas flow more smoothly from one sentence to the next using a wider and more natural range of cohesive devices without over-relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'top notch college', 'multi national company', and 'independent'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. For example, phrases like 'for giving you advice', 'From my prospectus' instead of perspective, 'permotion', and 'give resume' show that your control of lexical items is inconsistent. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, they prevent you from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on mastering common collocations and ensuring correct word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as conditional clauses ('if you will do a great job') and relative clauses ('which will help you'). However, your writing contains frequent errors in grammar, verb tenses, and prepositions. Examples include tense inconsistencies ('I was also planned' instead of planned, 'teachers usually came and give'), missing articles ('choose job'), and incorrect verb forms in conditionals. Punctuation errors, such as unnecessary spaces before commas, also occur. These errors require some effort for the reader to interpret and indicate that you need to work on improving your control over basic and complex grammatical structures.

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

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