Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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 Manish,

I hope you're going well. I'm writing to you give the assistance about get a job instead of going to college.

You would not be enjoy the college because these days there are a less number of students in the universities due to the summer vocation. Because of this, you cannot only miss the class environment but you can also miss the campus activities which are schedule only when numerous students are there.

If you get a job, then, you can not only save some money for your further studies but also you can get practical experience from it. This approach could be helps you in your studies because you would be go for college with confidence after a job.

I would suggest you that you can apply for part-time jobs which are related to your education. It can helps you to getting the interest in new work.

Anyway, I hope everything is going well with you. Write back when you have time and let me know what you think about it.

Best wishes

Preet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear recommendation to choose work over college and address all three bullet points. The reasons include saving money and gaining practical experience, and you suggest part-time work related to your education. However, the explanation of why Manish would not enjoy college is less convincing: the claim that there are fewer students because of the summer vacation is not clearly connected to his personal preferences, and the point about missing campus activities needs more explanation. The job suggestions are also quite general; naming suitable fields or specific roles would make the advice more useful. Develop each reason with a detail that relates directly to your friend, and make the recommendation consistently clear and persuasive throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: an opening, separate paragraphs for the college and job points, and a friendly closing. This makes the main ideas easy to locate. You also use linking expressions such as “Because of this,” “If you get a job,” and “Anyway” to connect sections. At times, however, the connections feel mechanical or the reference is unclear. For example, “This approach” could refer more explicitly to working, and the two ideas in the college paragraph are not strongly linked to why Manish personally would dislike college. Use clearer transitions between reasons and explain how each point follows from the previous one. The paragraphing is appropriate, but more precise referencing would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main advice, including “practical experience,” “further studies,” and “part-time jobs.” These phrases suit the topic and show some range beyond very basic wording. However, several noticeable word-choice and collocation problems make parts of the letter sound unnatural, such as “give the assistance,” “summer vocation,” and “getting the interest in new work.” “Campus activities” is relevant, but the explanation around it remains general. Aim to learn common word partnerships and choose expressions that fit a friendly advice letter. More specific job-related vocabulary, such as roles or industries that match your friend’s education, would also make the suggestions more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the paired construction “not only … but also” and the conditional “If you get a job.” However, complex attempts are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “You would not be enjoy,” “This approach could be helps,” and “you would be go for college”; these need corrected verb forms, such as “would not enjoy,” “could help,” and “would go to college.” There are also problems with articles and agreement in “a less number” and “activities which are schedule.” Practise modal verb patterns and subject–verb agreement, then proofread each sentence for a complete, correctly formed verb phrase.

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

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