Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-13

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/madam,

I hope you are doing well, my self Maria, we recently meet in Bombay to Goa flight number [redacted phone], you tell me about your recent opening your restaurant in Goa and you need a person who find a place and arranged everything behind you.

I want to let you know about, I am interesting about your offer, as i tell you before i am a contractor so i have better knowledge about the place and pricing details, Furthermore, I m also looking something like that your requirements,

I attached my past experience to you for better understanding, and let me know i am suitable for the job or not.

I am looking forward to hearring from you soon!

Thank you for your time and support.

Your faithfully,

Maria.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose by referring to your meeting on the Bombay-to-Goa flight, expressing interest in a job, and mentioning your contracting experience. However, the job you want is not clearly named: “a person who find a place and arranged everything behind you” leaves the role and its duties uncertain. Your reason for suitability—knowledge of locations and pricing—is relevant, but it needs a clearer explanation of how these skills would help run or establish a restaurant. The request to assess your suitability is also vague, and the letter is 20 words below the required minimum. Add specific details about the position you seek and one or two examples of relevant experience.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: it recalls the meeting, states interest, gives a reason for suitability, and closes politely. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages. Some connections between ideas are less clear, however. For example, “Furthermore, I’m also looking something like that your requirements” does not explain how your interests relate to the job, while the opening combines several points in one long sentence. The sequence would be easier to follow if each paragraph had one clear purpose and transitions were used accurately. A more direct progression—from identifying the role to explaining your qualifications and requesting a conversation—would make the message more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “contractor,” “pricing details,” “past experience,” and “opening.” This gives the reader a basic sense of your background and interest. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or combinations are unclear, such as “find a place and arranged everything behind you” and “I am interesting about your offer.” Spelling errors such as “hearring” also reduce accuracy. Choose precise terms for the role and its responsibilities, and use natural collocations when describing your qualifications. For instance, explain whether you have experience finding suitable premises, negotiating costs, or coordinating restaurant setup.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its basic message, but grammatical control is inconsistent, and the range of sentence structures is limited. The opening sentence joins several clauses without clear punctuation: “I hope you are doing well, my self Maria, we recently meet…” Verb forms are also inaccurate, as in “we recently meet” and “you tell me,” and the phrase “I am looking something” lacks a necessary grammatical element. There are attempts to connect ideas using “Furthermore” and “as,” but these do not consistently produce accurate sentences. Use shorter, complete sentences first, then add a few well-controlled complex sentences. Check past-tense forms and sentence boundaries carefully.

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