Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-28

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 4.5)

Dear Clara,

Hi! How are you? I received your letter yesterday. I heard about you want an advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. I just wanted to drop you a line about your confusion, we just graduated from university a month ago, therefore you are in confusion about to go to college or to try to get a job. I wanted to advice you to try to get a job, due to your parents financial conditions that they can't afford your education fee, thus you have to get a job to help your family and be financial independent. I suggest you few jobs that would be suitable for you, such as this is your beginning to obtain a job. I would like to suggest you can join any companies like software, interior designing, exterior designing or for part time you can work at restuarants. Regard my greetings to your parents.

Can't wait to hear back.

Lots of love, see you soon.

Yours lovingly,

Samrin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You make your recommendation clear: you advise Clara to get a job, and you mention possible work in software, design, and restaurants. However, the task asks you to explain why she would not enjoy college, and this point is not addressed; the reference to her parents’ finances explains why college may be difficult, not why she would dislike it. The reasons for working and the job suggestions are also brief and unclear, with no link to Clara’s interests or abilities. The response contains 147 words, so it is three words below the required minimum. To improve, cover each bullet directly and develop each idea with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The letter has a recognisable opening and closing, and the reader can identify your main recommendation. However, the ideas are crowded into one long paragraph, so the reasons for avoiding college, the benefits of work, and the job suggestions are not clearly separated. Some linking is attempted with “therefore” and “thus,” but the connections are repetitive or unclear; for example, the sentence about having graduated from university does not clearly support the advice. The transition into the job list is also awkward. Use separate paragraphs for each main point, and arrange them in the order of the task bullets. Clearer links between each reason and your recommendation would make the letter easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the general topic, including “financial independent,” “part time,” and several job areas. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the message difficult to interpret. For example, “I heard about you want an advice” and “this is your beginning to obtain a job” do not express the intended meaning naturally. There is also a spelling error in “restuarants.” Aim for more precise phrases suited to giving friendly advice, and check spelling and collocations. For instance, you could describe work as a way to “gain experience” and say that a job would help her become “financially independent.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both short sentences and longer sentences with reasons, such as the sentence beginning “I wanted to advice you to try to get a job.” This shows an effort to connect ideas, but longer structures are often not controlled accurately, and errors sometimes make the meaning unclear. Examples include “I heard about you want,” “your parents financial conditions that they can't afford,” and “I suggest you few jobs.” There are also problems with articles, possessives, and sentence boundaries, particularly where a comma joins complete thoughts. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then combine them using clear clauses such as “because” or “so.” Check verb patterns and sentence punctuation before finishing.

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