Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-09

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 Mr Tomas,

I hope your are doing well, i would like to introduce myself first, i'm Alex. We've been sitting together last week, on a flight to Spain at 10 a.m. We have talked all along the trip, and honestly, I'm really influenced by your personality and your sucess in life, being a part of your team work would be an additional to my career, and i think i can prove my potentials and creativity. As you've already know i'm a professional Chef who is passionate about his job, i love creating and matching new flavours, that make my meals always special. I'm very active, productive, conciencious, and responsable. I've sent you my CV it's very intersting, you may check it before any probable decision. I promise you that you will never regret of hiring me.

I'm waiting for a favorable response from your part.

Have a good day.

Alex

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose by reminding the businessman that you met on a flight to Spain and by identifying yourself as a professional chef. You also give relevant reasons for your suitability, including your passion for cooking, creativity and productivity. However, the job you want is not stated directly: “being a part of your team” is vague, so specify a role such as chef or kitchen manager. The meeting details are also somewhat unclear because “last week” and “at 10 a.m.” do not identify the journey precisely. The CV reference helps establish your interest, but the letter would be more complete if you clearly asked about a vacancy or the next steps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a generally recognisable sequence: it opens with a greeting, recalls the meeting, describes your experience and qualities, and closes by requesting a response. This gives the reader a basic sense of purpose. However, most information is packed into one long paragraph, and several ideas run together, particularly the account of the flight and your reasons for wanting to join the business. The transitions “As you've already know” and “I've sent you my CV” do not create a smooth progression. Use separate paragraphs for the meeting and job interest, then your qualifications and closing request. Clearer links between these sections would make the letter easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing a chef and your personal qualities, including “creating and matching new flavours,” “creativity,” and “productive.” These choices communicate enthusiasm and some professional suitability. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy, such as “sucess,” “conciencious,” “responsable,” and “intersting.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “an additional to my career,” “prove my potentials,” and “regret of hiring me.” Aim for conventional professional collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, you could describe your experience as a valuable contribution to the restaurant and say that you would welcome the opportunity to demonstrate your skills.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors occur frequently in basic structures and in the longer sentences, which sometimes makes the reader pause. Examples include “your are,” “i would,” “As you've already know,” and “I'm waiting for a favorable response from your part.” The sentence beginning “We have talked all along the trip” also uses an awkward tense construction for a completed journey. Capitalise “I” consistently, use “you have already known” only where appropriate (or rephrase the sentence), and check verb forms, articles and prepositions. Breaking the long sentence about your personality and career into shorter, controlled sentences would improve accuracy.

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

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