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,

I recently observed from a notice board that our company is bringing some training courses such as marketing and business administration for our employees to ehnance their skills. I am intereted to take a marketing course. I believe that this particular subject would teach me some useful strategies to grow the company's sale and my development. It has been long time, I was searching for this course and finally i got an opportunity.

According to company's policy, owner usually check record of all employess to give them a bonus. I was announced employee of the year in the last contest. I have not get an award yet. I request you if operater can refer me for this course as a reward. This is not only beneficial for me but also for our company as well.

I also worked many years as a supervisor. I truely believe that marketing skills could strenghten my skills. By using some tactics, I may help to attract more customer, which may improve sales and eventually benefit company's finance.

I appreciate your help and looking forward to heard your answer.

Thank you.

Kul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose by requesting a marketing course, asking the company to support your enrolment, and explaining that marketing skills could help attract customers and improve sales. These points are relevant, but some are not fully clear or developed. For example, the course itself is described only generally, with no details about its content or timing, and the request for help is framed as a reward for being employee of the year rather than specifying practical support such as paying fees or allowing time off. The claim that you have not received an award also makes this explanation confusing. Develop these details and make the request more direct so that every part of the task is clearly addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure: you introduce the course, make a request, explain its value, and close politely. Paragraphing helps separate these purposes, and phrases such as “I also” signal a move to another point. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow because ideas within the second paragraph do not connect clearly: the company’s policy, your employee-of-the-year result, and the request for a referral are presented without explaining their relationship. Some linking is also mechanical, as in “This is not only beneficial for me but also for our company as well.” Organise the request and its justification in a clearer sequence, and use references and transitions that show precisely how each idea relates to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of work-related vocabulary, including “marketing course,” “strategies,” “supervisor,” “attract more customer,” and “improve sales.” This is enough to communicate the main message, and some choices show an attempt to be specific. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy, including “ehnance,” “intereted,” “employess,” and “truely.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “grow the company's sale” and “company's finance” do not express the intended ideas naturally, while “operator” appears unclear in the request. Check spelling carefully and choose standard collocations such as “increase the company’s sales” and “improve the company’s financial performance.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “I believe that this particular subject would teach me…” and “By using some tactics, I may help…”. The overall meaning is usually understandable, but errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some parts awkward or unclear. For instance, “It has been long time, I was searching” combines tenses incorrectly; “I have not get an award yet” uses the wrong verb form; and “looking forward to heard your answer” needs a gerund after “to.” There are also problems in “I request you if…” and “attract more customer.” Practise accurate request structures and review tense, article, and plural forms while retaining your attempts at longer sentences.

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

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