Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-23

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 Businessman,

How are you? I think you are doing well. So, I have want to talk about jobs hiring. You and I meet in the plane where we are travelling in the same flight. We have discussed many things about your business and how they are connected from one to another and have now become a chain.

So, We meet at the airport and in the plane I have seat beside you and I have asked about you that what kind of work you do in your life and you told that I have restaurant business. Then I also told you about my interest in work-life that to become chief in restaurant.

I have done cooking course in my life because of from my childhood I learn and enjoyed so much about how to cook food and also Now I want to prove and going with my passion in life. So request you to make some help in to get the job in your restaurant and it would be greatful to me. Because I have done my course of cooking and have some experience in my life it would suit in your restaurant.

Thank You

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: you reminded the businessman of the meeting, specified your interest in a chef position, and explained your suitability. However, the tone is inconsistent and occasionally informal (e.g., 'How are you? I think you are doing well'). The development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding the meeting details. To improve, ensure that the tone remains professional throughout a business-related letter and focus on providing more specific details about your culinary experience rather than repeating the circumstances of the meeting.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow between sentences is often mechanical. You rely heavily on simple conjunctions like 'and' and 'so' to link ideas. Some transitions are awkward, such as 'So, We meet at the airport and in the plane I have seat beside you'. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'as a result') and ensure that referencing is clear and consistent throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite limited and repetitive. You use basic terms like 'work', 'job', and 'cooking course' throughout. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I have want to talk' instead of 'I would like to discuss' and 'make some help' instead of 'assist me'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise professional terminology related to the hospitality industry and avoid repeating the same basic verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Issues include tense inconsistency (e.g., 'We meet' instead of 'We met'), incorrect verb forms ('I have want'), and missing articles or prepositions. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often inaccurate. For example, 'I have done cooking course in my life because of from my childhood I learn and enjoyed' is grammatically fragmented. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and consistent tense usage before attempting more complex structures.

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

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