Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-14

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 Sir or Madam,

I hope you remember, I am sam the one who travelled along with you in british airline from india to london last year, we both shared the same seat and lunch together. You also mentioned that you own a chain of restaurants across london, however you had promised me a job in your restaurant if i require in future.

Back in India I completed my Mastes in business administration and I have in a AJ international hotel as an receptionist for about 4 years, I was looking for same job position in your restaurant or I can even take up accounting role as I was managing financials of the hotel.

Furthermore, I also have taken up short certification course in hospitality and I have strong communication and problem sovling skills which alines with your resturant requirements, hence I believe i will be best applicant to fit in the job criteria.

I really appreciate you if you could consider my job application, looking forword to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Sam walliam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover all three requested points: you identify the journey from India to London, express interest in receptionist or accounting work, and give relevant experience and qualifications. The details about four years at a hotel and managing its finances help explain your suitability. However, some information is unclear or not fully developed. “Last year” is a broad reminder, and the claim that he “had promised me a job” may overstate the original suggestion to contact him about a possible vacancy. Explain more specifically what duties you could perform and how your experience would benefit his restaurants. The purpose is clear overall, but a more precise account of the meeting and a fuller case for your suitability would make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it opens by recalling the meeting, moves to your preferred roles and experience, and ends with a request and sign-off. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and connectors such as “Furthermore” and “hence” show relationships between ideas. At times, however, the links feel mechanical or the references are not fully clear. For example, “I was looking for same job position” follows two possible roles, so it is not immediately clear whether you mean receptionist work specifically or either role. The opening also combines several details in one long sentence. Use clearer transitions and separate the meeting reminder from the job request to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to employment and hospitality, including “business administration,” “receptionist,” “accounting role,” “financials,” and “communication skills.” This gives you enough range to explain your background and interests. However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “Mastes,” “problem sovling,” “alines,” “resturant,” and “looking forword.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “shared the same seat and lunch together” and “best applicant to fit in the job criteria.” Choose standard collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, say that you “shared a meal” and that your skills “match the role’s requirements.” These changes would make the letter sound more professional and easier to read.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the sentence beginning “Furthermore” and the clause “as I was managing financials of the hotel.” The main message remains understandable, but errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. For example, “I hope you remember, I am sam” joins clauses incorrectly; “I have in a AJ international hotel” is missing a suitable verb construction; and “I was looking for same job position” needs an article and clearer tense. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly in the opening run-on sentence. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then combine them with accurate clauses. Check articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries during proofreading.

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

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