Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-18

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 am writing this letter to remember you that we have met each other in our recent plane journey and you have discuss with me about your business that you own various restaurants. On that time you ask me that you can apply for job at one of his restaurants.So, when I came home and I think about it and I want to apply for a job at your one of restaurant.

I have a two years of experience of serving food at a cafe. So, I decided to apply for server position at your restaurant. I like to serve food to customers and having a great expeience of customer service . This is the reason I want to apply for this job.Moreover, I was also not having the job right now as I have migrated from different city. I am also looking for a job.

I think my server experience will help me that I am suitable for the job as you also not have to provide me with much training about customer service.

Looking for a positive response.

Yours faithfully,

Inderveer Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student has attempted all parts of the task prompt: reminding the recipient of their meeting, stating the job of interest, and explaining suitability. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, particularly regarding the explanation of suitability and the context of meeting. For instance, writing 'I am also not having the job right now' is overly simplistic and detracts from the professional tone expected in a formal or semi-formal business letter. The tone fluctuates slightly between formal ('Dear Sir', 'Yours faithfully') and overly conversational, but the communicative purpose is achieved overall. This performance aligns best with Band 5.5, rounded to 6.0 as all bullet points are addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter exhibits a basic logical sequence, moving from the initial greeting and reminder to the job request, suitability, and closing. Paragraphing is attempted, though paragraph breaks are somewhat abrupt and the overall layout lacks smooth transitions between ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, such as starting sentences with 'So' and 'Moreover' in a way that feels mechanical. Referencing is occasionally confusing, as seen in phrases like 'apply for a job at your one of restaurant' where pronouns and determiners are awkwardly handled. Overall, the organization is coherent enough to follow, matching the descriptors for Band 5.5, rounded to 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and repetitive. The student relies heavily on basic vocabulary such as 'job', 'restaurant', 'food', and 'serve'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, including 'remember you' instead of 'remind you', 'on that time' instead of 'at that time', and 'server position' instead of a 'position as a server'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but inaccuracies in phrasing and word formation restrict the flow of communication. The vocabulary deployed is minimally adequate for the task, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complexity frequently result in grammatical errors. Examples include tense confusion ('you have discuss with me', 'you ask me that you can apply'), article misuse ('at your one of restaurant', 'a two years of experience'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('you also not have to provide me'). While simple sentences are generally understandable, errors are frequent and occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader, particularly when parsing longer, run-on clauses. This level of control is characteristic of Band 5.0.

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

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