Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-07

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

During a recent plane journey, you sat next to a businessman who owns a chain of restaurants. You talked to him and he suggested that you should contact him about a possible job in one of his restaurants.

Write a letter to this businessman. In your letter

• remind him when and where you met
• tell him what kind of job you are interested in
• say why you think you would be suitable for the job

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear George,

I hope you are doing well, Me too. This is Rose Kelly i am writing to express my interest as achief chef in one of your restaurant chains.

We recently met on our way to Johannesburg south Africa a board Etihad Airways. We sat next to each other and we had rich stories from world population, Climate change and Entrepreneurship and specifically the story about your chains of restaurant across the world cought my attention i know you can attest to that.

Well, I am expressing my interest in working with you as A chief Chef in one of your chains especially the one in Pretoria. I will be glad and happy to work with your dynamic team of employees .

I have a rich CV working as A chef in some of the biggest restaurants in the world such as King and Queens, JM Marriott amongst others and my performance has been splendid.

I will be glad and happy to hear from you soon.

Yours Sincerely

Winstone Juma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter covers all three required points: you identify the journey and airline, state that you want a chef position, and give relevant experience at King and Queens and JM Marriott. The reference to your conversation about his restaurant chain also helps remind George who you are. However, the meeting details could be more precise: “on our way to Johannesburg south Africa” does not clearly say when the journey took place, and the job request would be stronger if you specified your skills or the type of chef role you seek. Your suitability is supported mainly by naming previous employers; add a concrete achievement or relevant strength to develop this point more fully. The purpose remains clear and appropriate for a job enquiry.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: you open with your purpose, recall the meeting, describe the role you want, and then explain your experience before closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and the reader can follow the main message. Some links are less smooth or precise, however. “Well” is a rather conversational transition into the job request, while “I will be glad and happy” repeats the same idea in both the role paragraph and the closing. The opening also combines a greeting and an unrelated response—“I hope you are doing well, Me too”—which interrupts the flow. Use transitions that show the relationship between ideas and avoid repeating the same closing sentiment.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “express my interest,” “dynamic team,” “performance,” and “entrepreneurship.” These choices communicate a professional purpose, and the references to restaurant work and previous employers are appropriate. However, several spelling and word-choice problems reduce precision: “achief chef” and “A chief Chef” are not suitable forms for the intended job title, “cought” is misspelled, and “rich stories from world population” is unclear. “Restaurant chains” is also more natural than “chains of restaurant.” Aim for accurate, conventional collocations and check spelling and capitalization. A more specific range of culinary terms, such as food preparation or kitchen supervision, would make your suitability more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The letter includes both simple statements and longer sentences, such as the sentence describing your conversation on the flight, so there is some variety in structure. The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. In “I hope you are doing well, Me too,” the clauses are joined incorrectly; “I am writing to express my interest as…” also needs a clearer grammatical pattern, such as “in applying for.” Articles and capitalization are inconsistent in “a board Etihad Airways” and “A chief Chef,” and the sentence beginning “We recently met…” would benefit from clearer punctuation to separate its ideas. Review sentence boundaries, articles, and consistent capitalization, while retaining the longer structures you attempt.

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