Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear Anita,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I recently got your letter , In your letter you were asking me about my advice that whether you should go to college or try to get a job.

I can understand that this will be complicated decision to take , I am your childhood friend and I know you like my own shadow that is the reason I would like to advice you that you should go for a job as a Data Analyst in one of the top companies as well as they always have vacancies available for you that would be the best job because from the starting of your career you were used to focused in that firm which is advantageous for you because that is in demand and it also starts with a great packages.

This job is also beneficial for your family members with the help of your salary you will be able to provide the financial support as well as you will be able to live independently rather than going to college because from the childhood of yours you were not interested in studies , So I think that this job will be the perfect match of your standards and requirements .

I hope this advice will help you to take decisions.

I am looking forward to spend some quality time with you , let me know if you need anything.

Yours lovingly,

HP

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing college and a job, but the execution remains limited and under-developed. While all three bullet points are touched upon, the explanation of why Anita would not enjoy college is rather vague, resting simply on the assertion that she was not interested in studies from childhood. Furthermore, the suggestion for a job focuses heavily and rather unrealistically on a single specific career path as a Data Analyst with great packages, rather than exploring various suitable options as requested in the final bullet point. The overall position is somewhat unclear due to the merging of ideas within lengthy, run-on sentences. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to clearly separate each part of the prompt into distinct, well-supported points that are fully expanded with relevant details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation in the letter, marked by a standard greeting and sign-off, but there is a lack of clear overall progression. The response suffers from a heavy reliance on comma splices and run-on sentences, such as the lengthy third paragraph which strings multiple independent clauses together with commas rather than proper punctuation or conjunctions. Cohesive devices are repetitive or inaccurate, with phrases like 'that is the reason' and 'as well as' overused to link disparate thoughts. Paragraphing is also problematic, as the main body content is crammed into two excessively long blocks instead of being broken down logically by topic. Improving cohesion requires careful sentence boundary control, appropriate paragraph breaks for each new idea, and a wider, more accurate variety of linking words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message. The writer attempts some less common expressions, such as 'financial support' and 'live independently', but noticeable errors in word choice and word form occur throughout, including 'complicated decision to take' instead of 'to make', and 'from the starting of your career you were used to focused' which contains incorrect phrasing and word forms. Spelling is generally acceptable, but awkward collocations and inappropriate phrasing, such as 'I know you like my own shadow', cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher mark. A greater focus on natural collocations and precise word forms is necessary for further improvement.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammatical structures employed are quite limited, consisting mostly of repetitive patterns joined improperly. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to severe run-on sentence structures where multiple clauses are incorrectly separated by commas instead of full stops. There are frequent errors in verb forms, prepositions inside grammatical patterns, and punctuation, such as 'to take decisions' missing the article, and awkward prepositional usage like 'from the childhood of yours'. These frequent structural errors and punctuation faults cause considerable difficulty for the reader in parsing the text. To progress, the writer must focus on using simple, accurate sentences alongside correctly structured complex sentences, while eliminating comma splices through proper punctuation.

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