Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24

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 Sam

l hope you will be fine and enjoy your good health.i recieved your letter a few days ago.i tis was so amused and overjoyed to see your letter .you have asked me about whether you should pursue his education or go for a professional career.

Firstly, in my point of view as you were my classmate and i know much about you .you feel bored and have little interest in studies.you donot like education and dont have interest

in subject related things rather your mind want activites and in my opinion you should go for practical work which will be beneficial for you to get earning soon and become stable in life. you are more social and activity based person.so you should not go for education.

Secondly, in my opinion you are so optimisitc person with good social and friendly approach you should opt a career of customer service,or social relation manager which is good for you to carry on which will help you to add in your resume to get a hand on experience and in future you will get more benefical job with hand some earning which will make you stable soon in life.

You can also go for professions like plumbing,electrical work or mining if you have potential to do hard job.ita upto you now what kind of work you will go for ,please do inform me about your future selcetion of profession .i will definitely wait for your reply.

your sincerely

Andrew

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points and make your recommendation clear: you believe Sam should work rather than continue studying. You explain that he may find college boring because he has little interest in academic subjects, and you give several possible jobs, including customer service, social relations, plumbing and electrical work. The reasons for working—earning sooner, gaining experience and becoming financially stable—are relevant. However, some ideas are asserted rather than developed: for example, you do not explain what makes customer service or social relations especially suitable for Sam, and the final job suggestions are conditional but not linked to his particular strengths. Add a specific example or explanation for each recommendation to make the advice more convincing and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, two main paragraphs and a closing request for Sam to reply. The sequence from explaining why college may not suit him to recommending work is generally logical, and “Firstly” and “Secondly” help signal the main points. However, these transitions feel somewhat mechanical, and the second paragraph combines several different ideas and job options without clear grouping. Some connections are also difficult to follow, particularly the long sentence beginning “you should opt a career of customer service.” Use shorter sentences, organise the job suggestions into a clear group, and connect each recommendation directly to the reason it suits Sam. A conventional sign-off would also make the letter feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a range of vocabulary relevant to education and employment, including “practical work,” “customer service,” “hand on experience” and “stable in life.” These choices communicate the main message, but several spelling errors and unnatural word combinations make the letter less fluent and sometimes require the reader to infer your meaning. Examples include “optimisitc,” “benefical,” “hand some earning” and “social relation manager.” Some expressions are also vague, such as “hard job.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise descriptions of the work Sam might enjoy would also help you express your advice with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including explanations with “because” and clauses introduced by “which.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but errors in sentence boundaries, verb forms, articles and punctuation occur across the letter. For instance, “you should opt a career of customer service,or social relation manager which is good for you to carry on” joins several ideas without clear grammatical structure, while “as you were my classmate and i know much about you” shifts between past and present forms. Capitalisation and full stops are also inconsistent. Practise separating long sentences into complete units, and check that each clause has a clear subject and verb, with consistent tense and appropriate articles.

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

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