Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You work for an international company, and would like to spend six months working in its head office in another country. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• explain why you want to work in the company's head office for six months
• say how your work could be done while you are away
• ask for his/her help in arranging it

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear sir!

It is stated that I" SYEDA ULYA" have been working in Quality Assurance department from last 4 years under your supervision .It was a great experience to work with you. I learnt a lot from your professional skills and this prestigious organization.

I heard from HR department that there are some vacancies in our Head office which is situated in KSA and company is transferring some people from our regional office. I would like to request you to give recommendation for me. This opportunity will boost my career .I can get international exposure. As you know they are installing a new manufacturing plant for injectables and my major specialities are in sterile production. I can provide my services to establish the plant as I am experienced enough.

In my absence you will face no difficulty regarding the tasks which I was doing here as my co worker is already trained and I will be available online as well to support him.

Waiting for your kind support.

Yours sincerely,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, proposing a solution for your current workload, and asking for the manager's help. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal business letter, though the opening 'Dear sir!' is slightly informal and lacks the specific name required for a professional context. Your ideas are relevant, particularly the connection between your expertise in sterile production and the new manufacturing plant. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between your current role and the proposed international assignment is more clearly articulated to demonstrate a professional perspective.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the introduction to the request, the justification, and finally the solution for your current duties. However, the paragraphing is somewhat disjointed; the text would benefit from clearer separation between the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. While you use some cohesive devices like 'As you know' and 'In my absence', the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using industry-specific terms like 'sterile production' and 'manufacturing plant' effectively. However, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'It is stated that I', which sounds unnatural in a letter to a manager. Additionally, 'give recommendation for me' should be 'provide a recommendation for me'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive sentence structures. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. For example, 'working in Quality Assurance department' is missing an article ('the'), and 'from last 4 years' should be 'for the last 4 years'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing spaces after periods and unnecessary quotation marks around your name. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy of your writing. Focusing on article usage and prepositional accuracy will help improve your score.

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

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