Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-12

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

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,

I am writing to the company that I'm planning to attend a traning course next month. I am going to request a 3 days leave.

The training which I have seen yesterday will conduct a speech traning. This course will teach me about public speaking and the effectiveness of being a good listerner. I would appreciate it if the company will help me by lending me some loans which will be used to secure a slot for this training.

This training will help me a lot. It will help me to establishment a good partnership towards our clients. It also boost my confidence when dealing some problems.

Thank you for your understanding. I am sincerely appreciate your consideration and looking forward to your response soon.

Sincerely yours,

Renz

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the three requested points: you identify a speech-training course, ask the company for financial help, and explain that it could support client relationships and confidence. However, these ideas are only briefly stated, so the benefits and the specific support needed are not fully developed. For example, “some loans” does not clarify the course fee or whether you are requesting a loan, reimbursement, or payment by the company. The letter also does not meet the required minimum length, which limits how fully you can explain your request. Add details such as the course dates, cost, and relevant skills you expect to gain, and explain how these will help with particular work duties.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: the opening states your purpose, the next paragraph describes the course and requests help, and the following paragraph gives workplace benefits. This makes the main message easy to follow. The closing is also appropriate for a formal letter. Some links between ideas are basic, however, and the short paragraphs leave the explanation feeling abrupt. For instance, “This training will help me a lot” introduces benefits but does not clearly connect them to the course content or your responsibilities. Use linking phrases to show cause and effect, and develop each point in a fuller sequence—for example, explain how improved speaking skills would help you communicate with clients.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “public speaking,” “clients,” “partnership,” and “confidence,” and the reader can understand the main request. However, the range is limited, and several spelling, word-form, or collocation errors reduce precision: “traning” is misspelled, “good listerner” is inaccurate, and “secure a slot” is less natural in this context than “reserve a place.” “Some loans” is also vague for a formal request about course costs. Aim for accurate, specific expressions such as “course fee,” “professional development,” and “client communication.” Proofreading spelling and choosing natural collocations would make the letter more polished and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate through a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, including “I would appreciate it if…” and “It will help me…”. The overall meaning remains understandable, but there are some errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “the company will help me” should use “would” after “I would appreciate it if,” and “It also boost my confidence” needs a correctly inflected verb (“boosts”). The phrase “I am sincerely appreciate” also combines incompatible verb forms; use either “I sincerely appreciate” or “I am sincerely grateful.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement and keeping verb patterns consistent, while continuing to use a range of sentence forms.

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