Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-22

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,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this to remind you the time when, I met you in my last month journey to Canada, while coming back from India. I remember I was setting next to you in that plane. I saw you were taking to your manager about your business plans about more employees. I did talk to you about some jobs. I do want to mention that I am retail. I think so, I would be the best fit for your restaurant. As I had mentioned, to you in my talks that i had worked in customer service before this too. I am a confident person to lead and manage everything. I remember when I was in working in one of the restaurant named taco time I used to be the only person to mange all three tills. this was the main thing to say that I am suitable person for this job.

I am looking forward to hear answer from you about my job.

Your Sincerely.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully reminded the recipient of the meeting context, identified your interest in a restaurant role, and provided a justification for your suitability by referencing your previous experience at 'Taco Time'. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of your suitability could be more persuasive by linking your specific skills (managing tills, customer service) more directly to the needs of a restaurant chain. While the task is fully covered, the tone is slightly informal for a business letter, which impacts the overall effectiveness of the communication.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph addressing a specific requirement of the prompt. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between sentences is often abrupt, and the letter lacks a variety of linking words to connect ideas smoothly. The paragraphing is also insufficient; the body of the letter is presented as a single block, which makes it harder to follow. Improving the use of transition signals (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition') would significantly enhance the flow and readability of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'I am writing this to remind you' and 'I think so'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'I am retail' (which is grammatically incorrect and unclear) and 'mange all three tills' (spelling error). To improve, you should focus on using more professional terminology related to the hospitality industry and avoid informal phrasing. Expanding your range of adjectives and verbs will help you convey your experience more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include incorrect verb tenses ('I was setting next to you'), missing articles, and punctuation errors (e.g., 'I remember when I was in working in one of the restaurant named taco time I used to be...'). The sentence structure is often repetitive, and there are errors in word order and preposition usage. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate better control over basic sentence construction and reduce the frequency of errors in tense and subject-verb agreement.

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

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