Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-04

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 Purvi,

I really appreciate that you are thinking to move forward in your carrier and thanks for takiing me seriously in your life. I am great to advice you regarding your future. It is a totally up to you that what you want in your life but i can suggest you in some way.

According to me, taking admission is Master course is not good idea for now. I think, first you have to gain some practical knowledge in that before studying forward. Right now, practical knowledge is also important in compair to theoritical knowledge.

I think getting a job right now is so helpful in your life, because right now you need to do some balance your financial things and for that currently doing job is crucial part of your life.

I would like to advice you some position for that, you can apply in graduate nurse stream, as well as you can pass your NCLEX exam and apply for RN position.

Thank you for taking advice from me,

Your best friend,

Zarana

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear overall recommendation to seek work, and you address all three requested points: college may be less suitable, employment could help financially, and you suggest nursing-related roles. However, the reasons are only partly developed. The claim that college is not a good idea “for now” is supported mainly by the value of practical knowledge, without explaining why your friend personally would not enjoy studying. The financial point is also brief, and the job suggestions would be more useful if you explained why they suit your friend’s experience or interests. Develop these points with specific, personal reasons so the advice feels fully tailored and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: you open by acknowledging your friend’s question, discuss college, then employment and suitable roles, and close appropriately. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these main points. Some links between ideas are mechanical or unclear, however. For example, “and for that currently doing job is crucial part of your life” does not clearly connect the financial need to the recommendation. The opening also moves through several ideas before stating your advice. Use clearer transitions and references, and make each paragraph develop one point in a more direct sequence. The friendly letter format is appropriate and supports the purpose.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to education and work, including “practical knowledge,” “financial,” “graduate nurse” and “RN position,” which helps communicate the topic. There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that reduce naturalness, such as “carrier” for “career,” “takiing,” “compair” and “theoritical.” Several phrases are awkward or imprecise, including “move forward in your carrier,” “some position for that” and “graduate nurse stream.” These choices make parts of the advice less clear, even though the general meaning can be understood. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling; more precise wording would make your recommendations sound confident and appropriate for a personal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because” and a conditional suggestion using “you can apply.” The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity and naturalness. For example, “It is a totally up to you that what you want” has problems with article use and clause structure, while “taking admission is Master course” is missing grammatical elements. In “you need to do some balance your financial things,” the verb pattern is faulty. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation choices, such as lowercase “i.” Practise accurate clause formation, articles and verb patterns, while keeping the useful variety of sentence structures you attempt.

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

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