Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-03

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 Rahul,

I hope your are doing well, in my suggestion you should start working than academics.

You already spent a plenty of time your life on studies, but you didn't get any experience of any work because only gaining knowledge, not only good idea to make your lifestyle better. You have to some experiences in your, nowadays every company wants at least 2 experience, whereas no one prefer fresher in their company.

Getting a job good for you in different ways like you would letter practical, learn team work and it also help financially, as I know your family financial condition is not that much good, so it helps you.

Has I now you are studying related IT so working in same field will better option. You will make yourself perfect in this. In this era, it real good option to make make your life more better.

I would appreciate if you could follow my suggestion but do what ever you without any problem. I always supports you in every situation.

Good luck

Gagan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You make your recommendation clear from the opening: Rahul should work rather than continue studying. You also address all three requested points: you suggest he may not benefit from more study, explain that work could build experience and provide financial help, and recommend a job in IT. These are relevant reasons, especially the reference to his family’s financial situation. However, the explanation of why he would not enjoy college is not fully developed; you focus more on the value of work experience than on his likely feelings about college. The job suggestions are also quite general, with no specific roles or examples. Develop these points with a clearer personal reason and two or three suitable IT jobs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure: you state your advice, give reasons, suggest a field of work, and close supportively. This helps the reader follow the main message. However, progression within the body is sometimes unclear, and several ideas are joined in long or awkward sentences, such as the explanation about studies, experience, and employers. Connectors such as “but,” “whereas,” and “so” are used, but some relationships between ideas are not expressed accurately. Paragraphing could also separate the reasons for choosing work from the job suggestions. Use shorter sentences, group related points together, and make each paragraph’s purpose clear to improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “experience,” “financially,” “team work,” and “IT,” so the main message is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “you would letter practical” does not convey the intended benefit, and “make your life more better” is repetitive and unnatural. “At least 2 experience” also needs a more suitable expression. Aim to learn common combinations such as “gain practical experience,” “work as part of a team,” and “improve your financial situation,” and check word forms and spelling before sending the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer sentences with reasons, for example, “as I know your family financial condition is not that much good, so it helps you.” However, the range of structures is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to understand. Examples include “I hope your are doing well,” “Getting a job good for you,” and “I always supports you,” where verb forms or agreement are incorrect. Some sentences also lack a clear grammatical structure, particularly the sentence beginning “You already spent a plenty of time.” Practise building accurate subject–verb–object sentences, then add one reason or result using a connector. Check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries carefully.

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

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