Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-18

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 Maria,

Hello my dear friend, are you doing well? I hope you are doing great. How's your parents and your pet dog? Well how are you managing your finances and all? I got to know from your father that you got a letter from the college in which you applied last summer. For that, congratulations to you. But I would suggest you not to attend college now and rather you should try to get a job. As you are well aware of your family's poor financial condition, it would be better for you to find a job now to support your expenses and have financial stability. You are hard working and talented person so you should use your qualities to earn money. Everyone is well aware of your baking skills and perfection. So I would suggest you to open a small bakery in front of your house or work as a baker into a café. Trust me you will not only earn good amount of money but also expertise your baking knowledge. I hope you will think twice before going to college, but always remember to do the things which gives you happiness.

Your's truly,

Hemanshi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You make your recommendation clear: you advise Maria to work rather than attend college, and you give relevant reasons, including her family’s financial situation and her baking ability. You also suggest suitable options—a small bakery or a baker’s role in a café—so all three requested points are present. However, the explanation of why she would not enjoy college is largely missing: financial pressure explains why it may be impractical, but not why she would dislike the experience. The reasons for working are also brief and somewhat repetitive. Develop this part by linking her interests and strengths to the daily experience of work, while acknowledging what she might miss by postponing college.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter follows a generally understandable order: greeting and personal questions, your recommendation, reasons, job suggestions, and a closing. Connectors such as “But,” “As,” and “So” help show relationships between ideas. However, most of the response is presented as one long paragraph, so the shift from personal opening to advice and then job suggestions is not clearly signposted. Some linking is also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “So I would suggest.” Use separate paragraphs for the opening, your reasons, and the job options, and vary the transitions. This would make the progression easier to follow without changing the friendly tone.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of everyday vocabulary for a friendly letter, including “financial stability,” “hard working,” “talented,” and “baking skills.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally warm and personal. However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “expertise your baking knowledge” and “earn good amount of money.” “Poor financial condition” is understandable but sounds less natural in this context. There is also some repetition of “suggest” and “good.” Aim for more natural collocations and precise wording, while keeping the language conversational. For example, describe how work could help her “develop her baking skills” and “earn a steady income.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and longer sentences, including the conditional-style explanation beginning “As you are well aware…” and the contrast in “not only… but also…”. The message remains understandable, but errors occur in several sentence patterns. For example, “How’s your parents” needs plural agreement, “You are hard working and talented person” is missing an article, and “the things which gives you happiness” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. The closing “Your’s truly” also has a punctuation error. Review agreement, articles, and apostrophe use, and check each sentence for a clear subject and verb. More accurate control of these patterns would make your advice smoother to read.

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

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