Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-01

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 hope you are doing well. I want to inform you about the training course. I am also interested in workshop. Therefore i want to attend the workshop.

A workshop includes Dry needling, K taping. As now i am beginner but i want to strong my hand skills, gain knowledge, more confident.

A workshop is in Amritsar and it is for 3 days. so i need leave. can you give me ? Because it will benefit us.

For instance such as i will share knowledge with other colleagues, many students, interns, it will beneficial for all of us.

Another important major reason is it gives so relief to our patients. In addition, our team members will also share information with me and you also guide me.

I will be very thankful to you. I believe you will totally take it positively and give me permission also.

Yours Faithfully,

Emily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the course, explaining the company's role, and stating the benefits. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the description of the course is vague, and the explanation of how the company can help is restricted to a simple request for leave. The tone is somewhat informal and inconsistent for a professional letter to a manager. To improve, you should provide more specific details about the course content and elaborate on how the skills gained will directly impact your daily work performance, rather than just mentioning general benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a letter. However, the flow between sentences is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'A workshop' or 'Because'. The transition between the request for leave and the explanation of benefits is abrupt. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In order to') to connect your ideas more smoothly and create a more logical progression of thought throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, which limits the professional tone required for this task. Phrases like 'I want to' and 'give me' are overly simplistic. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'strong my hand skills' and 'gives so relief'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. You should aim to use more precise professional terminology and varied expressions to convey your request more effectively and formally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('a workshop'), incorrect verb forms ('I want to strong'), and punctuation issues. Sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. For example, 'As now i am beginner but i want to...' is grammatically incorrect. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and word order. To achieve a higher score, you need to focus on using a wider range of complex structures accurately and pay closer attention to basic grammar rules, such as capitalization and article usage.

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.