Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-09

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 Manager,

I am writing this letter to express my interest in working with our company's head office for next 6 months which starting from next months.

Firstly, I would like to inform you that I finished my studies in accounting and my course is requires co-up. Secondly, I recently seen post on our company's carrier page. As my course requirement is matching with our company's standard.

Moreover, My work background is matching with my carrier, which will boost my carrier on top of it our head office experience will be cherry on top. Furthermore, While I was away from the work my work will going to cover by Leah. however, during this 6 month I will work remotely from head office and Will keep in touch with Leah in mean time.

As a manager, I would l need help to get this job at head office. For that I need your recommendation letter and need some reference to get it. Moreover, If you can arrange my residence for 6 months which will be greatest help.

I am looking forward in this job arrangement and help me out. if you need any further information like application number and job number I can share with you.

Thank you for understanding

Yours faithfully,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining the reason for the request, outlining how work will be covered, and asking for assistance. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of why you want to work at the head office is vague, and the request for the manager to arrange your residence is quite informal and lacks professional justification. To improve, ensure your reasons are more specific and your requests are framed in a more professional, business-appropriate tone. The letter is clearly written for a manager, but the tone fluctuates between formal and overly casual.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly misused, such as starting a sentence with 'Moreover' when it does not logically follow the previous thought. Additionally, some sentences are disjointed, and the transition between the request for a recommendation and the request for housing is abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that cohesive devices are used to link related ideas more naturally would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of incorrect word choice and spelling errors that detract from the professional tone. For example, you use 'carrier' instead of 'career' and 'co-up' instead of 'co-op'. Phrases like 'cherry on top' are too informal for a business letter to a manager. While you attempt to use some business-related terminology, the frequent errors in word choice and spelling suggest a need for more careful proofreading and a focus on learning standard professional collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with verb tenses ('which starting from', 'I recently seen'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. For example, 'my work will going to cover' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are persistent and occur in both simple and attempted complex sentences. To reach a higher band, focus on consistent verb tense usage and correct sentence construction. Proofreading for basic errors like missing articles and incorrect prepositions would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.