Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-20

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 5.0)

Dear Sir/Madam

I hope you are doing well, i am writring to remind you about that journey where we travel in same plan you was sit next to me and invite to join your restaurant in any patricular field.

The main reason to contact as you now that i am fresher in canada. Recently i am student in culinary art program. That is why i need urgent part time after my college hours in your restruatant.

I will want to apply as waiter since i don't have any particular experiences. If i worker as waiter there, it will easy to serve food and take besides having any sufficient experiences.

I would appreciate if you could allow me to work in your restruatant.It will not only help to pay my fees for further semester, but also helps me to cover my another expenses such as room rent, food and so on.

I am looking forward

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The candidate has attempted all parts of the prompt, successfully identifying the context of the meeting on a recent plane journey, expressing interest in a waiter position, and explaining suitability based on being a culinary arts student who needs part-time work. However, the development of these ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive. For instance, the reasons provided for wanting the job focus more on personal financial needs rather than suitability for the role of a waiter. The salutation also misses the name of the businessman, choosing a general greeting instead. Overall, the response addresses the prompt sufficiently to meet the requirements for a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level, but the ideas require further extension and clearer support to achieve a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks appropriate paragraphing structure, with the main body divided into a series of short, abrupt paragraphs that do not guide the reader smoothly through the narrative. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, such as using 'That is why' repetitively or relying on weak transitions like 'If i worker as waiter there, it will easy'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly regarding pronoun usage in the opening sentence ('that journey where we travel in same plan you was sit next to me'). Although the overall arrangement allows the reader to follow the general progression of the message, the mechanical use of cohesive ties and poor paragraph division restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently revolving around elementary terms such as 'job', 'work', 'restaurant' (spelled 'restruatant'), and 'waiter'. There are noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'writring', 'plan' instead of plane, 'patricular', and 'experiences'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic message about applying for a part-time position in the restaurant, the range is restricted, and frequent lexical errors cause some minor strain for the reader. The attempt to use subject-specific vocabulary like 'culinary art program' is positive, but overall the lexical features align with a Band 5.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences joined by basic conjunctions or commas, resulting in comma splices (e.g., 'I hope you are doing well, i am writring...'). Attempts at complex sentences are consistently faulty, marred by frequent errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and word order, such as 'you was sit next to me', 'Recently i am student', and 'If i worker as waiter there, it will easy'. Punctuation and capitalization are also erratic. These frequent grammatical inaccuracies and lack of structural variety mean the text falls comfortably into the Band 5.0 category.

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

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