Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You work for an international company. You have seen an advertisement for a training course which will be useful for your job.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• describe the training course you want to do
• explain what the company could do to help you
• say how the course will be useful for your job

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

Hope you are doing well!

I am writing this letter as I came across an advertisement on our company's portal for learning advanced excel course, in which an advanced level of preparation of excel usage will be explaining and participants will get to learn how to execute.

Moreover, this course will be very helpful and will an addition to my skills set. Since company has bandwidth to sponsor me for this course and can align my timings after my shift hours, I would request you to please accomodate my request. This would be a huge help and I'll be obliged.

Furthermore, this course will help to boost my skills set and can help in the preparation of ppt and reports. Also, it will be beneficial for my next promotion and job role.

Appreciate your cooperation and support.

Sincerely

Noor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the course as advanced Excel training and explain that company sponsorship and scheduling support would help you attend. You also connect the course to preparing reports and presentations, so the main points are relevant. However, the course description is unclear: “an advanced level of preparation of excel usage will be explaining” does not tell the manager what the training covers. The benefits are also brief, and the reference to a future promotion is not explained. The request would be more convincing if you specified particular skills, such as formulas or data analysis, and showed how these would improve your current duties. The response is 7 words below the required minimum, so it also needs a little more development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: it opens with a greeting, introduces the request, gives reasons, and closes politely. Paragraphing separates the request from the job benefits, while “Moreover” and “Furthermore” signal additions. This makes the overall arrangement coherent. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, with several ideas joined by “and” and repeated references to the course being helpful. The opening paragraph also combines the advertisement, course content, and learning outcomes in one difficult sentence, which weakens the flow. Organise the letter around the three task points, using a separate paragraph for the course details and a clearer link between the company’s support and the expected work benefits.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant workplace vocabulary, including “sponsor,” “shift hours,” “reports,” and “promotion,” and the reader can understand the general purpose of the letter. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Preparation of excel usage” and “boost my skills set” are not natural ways to describe the training or its benefits, while “bandwidth” is an imprecise choice for the company’s ability to support your request. There is also a spelling error in “accomodate,” and “skills set” is repeated. Use more precise terms for course content and workplace outcomes, and check spelling and common collocations to make the request sound more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and attempts at longer sentences, for example the sentence beginning “Since company has bandwidth to sponsor me.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors make parts awkward or unclear. In “an advanced level of preparation of excel usage will be explaining,” the verb form and sentence construction are faulty; “participants will get to learn how to execute” also lacks a clear object. Articles are missing in “Since company,” and the request sentence has an unclear structure around “can align my timings.” Aim for complete, direct sentences and check verb forms, articles, and clause structure. For example, state what the course teaches, then make a separate, clear request for sponsorship and scheduling flexibility.

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

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