Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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, madam

I am writing this letter because I want to transfer my job in our company's head office for at least six months. I want to explore how our company is working on international level. Moreover, over there I will learn something new from colleagues which help me to get more experienced job position in future.

I will carry my laptop and some office files with me and I will try to manage my office work in leisure time. I will give you updates for my work daily which helps you to know my tasks are finishing at time.

For my trip I need some financial grant from our company. our company's HR manager told me to get approval letter from you and after that I am eligible for financial grant . I would be grateful if you give me an approval letter .

yours faithfully,

jashan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the transfer, the management of workload, and the request for assistance. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall score. The ideas are relevant but somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the explanation of how work will be managed is quite brief and lacks detail regarding how the 'leisure time' approach would be professional or sustainable. To improve, you should expand on your ideas to ensure a more comprehensive response that meets the length requirement and provides more depth to your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the purpose of the letter to the practical arrangements and finally the request for help. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited (e.g., 'Moreover', 'For my trip'). The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. Phrases like 'get more experienced job position' and 'finish at time' are slightly unnatural and reflect a limited range. While the meaning is clear, there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or precise business-related terminology. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied and precise vocabulary related to professional environments and international business, such as 'professional development', 'cross-functional collaboration', or 'remote workflow management'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'transfer my job in' (should be 'transfer to'), 'which help me' (should be 'which will help me'), and 'at time' (should be 'on time'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the opening salutation and the lack of capitalization for 'I'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing.

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

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