Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-17

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 John,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I am writing this letter to request a favor of a job of chef at one of your restaurant which is located in my hometown.

I want to remind you that we have already met in the flight 3 months ago from Delhi to Dubai on 29th August, 2026. As long as I remember you were going Dubai for the opening of new restaurant of your chain and I was going there for vacations with my friends. we had a huge conversation.

During the flight, we dicussed so many topics personal and public, and one of them was regarding my future, in which you offered me a job of manager at your restaurant. I consider myself lucky that i met one of the renowned owners of restaurants.

According to my studies and previous experience, I believe, I would be the best match for this opportunity. I do have managerial and communication skills which are the two base for this job.

I would really appreciate you

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the main purpose by asking about a restaurant job, reminding John that you met on a flight from Delhi to Dubai, and giving reasons for your suitability. However, the job request is not fully clear: you first ask for a chef position, then say John offered you a manager role, without explaining which position you now want. Your suitability is also asserted rather than developed; “managerial and communication skills” would be more convincing with a brief example or relevant qualification. The letter ends abruptly at “I would really appreciate you,” so the request is not completed and there is no clear closing. Clarify the role, support your claims, and finish with a complete, polite request.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter has a recognisable sequence: an opening, a reminder of the meeting, discussion of the job, and a statement about your skills. Paragraph breaks help separate these points. However, progression is weakened by the shift from requesting a chef job to referring to a manager position, and the final sentence is incomplete, leaving the reader without a clear conclusion. Some linking is repetitive or awkward, such as “I am writing this letter” followed by “I want to remind you,” while “As long as I remember” does not connect the detail clearly. Organise the letter around one consistent job request, use straightforward transitions, and add a complete closing paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “opening,” “previous experience,” “managerial,” and “communication skills.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “renowned owners of restaurants.” However, several word combinations are unnatural or imprecise: “request a favor of a job,” “one of your restaurant,” and “a huge conversation.” The phrase “personal and public” is also unclear in this context. These choices make parts of the letter less natural, although the main meaning is generally understandable. Focus on accurate collocations and professional wording, for example, “apply for a chef position,” “one of your restaurants,” and “we had a long conversation.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including “As long as I remember you were going…” and “According to my studies and previous experience, I believe…” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors occur in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “one of your restaurant” needs plural agreement, and “we had a huge conversation” begins with an uncapitalised “we” after a full stop. The sentence beginning “During the flight” is also awkwardly structured, and “I would really appreciate you” is incomplete. Use shorter, controlled sentences where needed, check articles and plural forms, and ensure every sentence has a complete grammatical ending.

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