Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-08

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 Manager, I hope you are doing well

I am writing this letter to inform you that I have seen an advertisement for a training course which I thin it will be useful for me and also for my job.

I want to tell you in more detail about that course which called computer technology and I want to do that course because I found it will be very useful for me and at job. I want a little favor from you if you can help me to get the course and also if you can contact with the course management so they can help me directly and after that I can implement my ideas in my job and it will grow my work and also in my life.

I want to describe the main thing that if I learn this course then it will be very useful for my job. For example, I can do more work on my computer technology and also gain more information on that so our company don't need to hire more employee because I will the work which I learn form my course.

Thank you I am looking froward hearing from you.

Warm Regards,

Dev Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the course, requesting company support, and explaining the benefits. However, the development of these points is quite limited. The description of the course is vague, simply calling it 'computer technology' without specifying the content or duration. The request for help is also somewhat unclear, as asking the manager to 'contact the course management' is not a standard professional request. To improve, you should provide more specific details about the course curriculum and clearly articulate how the company can support you, such as requesting time off or financial assistance, rather than asking the manager to handle administrative tasks.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the flow of ideas is often disjointed due to the lack of effective cohesive devices. Many sentences are linked with 'and' or 'also', which makes the writing feel repetitive and mechanical. For example, the second paragraph uses 'and' four times in a single sentence. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition to this') to create a smoother progression between your ideas and to better connect your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. You frequently use general words like 'thing', 'do', and 'get', which limits the professional tone required for a letter to a manager. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'gain more information on that' and 'I will the work'. To reach a higher band, you need to use more precise, topic-specific vocabulary related to professional development and training. For instance, instead of saying 'do a course', you could use 'enroll in a professional development program' or 'undertake specialized training'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'our company don't need'), and sentence structure (e.g., 'I will the work which I learn form my course'). The range of structures is limited, relying mostly on simple sentences. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles or incorrect verb forms. Incorporating more complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.