Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-21

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 am writing this letter to request you about some leaves are require for training course of AI which I want to do during my job period which will improve my career.

Currently, I am working as Data analyst in your company since last 2 years. Nowadays, we know that world is trending with artificial intelligence. I have seen the advertisement about the course 'Python' in our social media platform Instagram, yesterday. I'm interested to do this course which will be beneficial for our company to analyse the data, effectively. This training course is of 3 months with participation certificate will be give by the trainer.

Surely, this course will be helpful for our company in tremendous way which will carry our organisation onto the path of success.

I hope you will consider my humble request to give me leave for training.

Thank you,

Yours truly,

Virali Shah

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the course, explaining the company's role, and stating the benefits. However, the development is somewhat thin. While you mention the course is about Python and AI, you do not specify the exact schedule or the cost, which would be expected in a formal request to a manager. The explanation of how the company can help is also vague; you ask for 'leaves' but do not clarify if you need financial support or flexible hours. To reach a higher band, ensure your ideas are fully extended with specific details that make the request actionable for the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purpose of the letter to the details of the course and finally the request. However, the paragraphing is weak; the entire body of the letter is contained within one block, which makes it difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or slightly misused, such as 'Nowadays, we know that world is trending'. The transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow of ideas. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly enhance the structure and readability of your response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic phrasing like 'do this course' and 'helpful for our company'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'request you about some leaves' (should be 'request leave') and 'world is trending with artificial intelligence'. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more professional, topic-specific collocations related to workplace training and professional development, and avoid repetitive or informal phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of the text. Examples include 'some leaves are require' (should be 'leave is required'), 'since last 2 years' (should be 'for the last two years'), and 'certificate will be give' (should be 'will be given'). You rely mostly on simple sentence structures, and your attempts at complex sentences often contain errors in verb tense or passive voice construction. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice, as these are essential for formal business correspondence.

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

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