Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-11

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 hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter to infor you that I would like to spend six months working in head office in another country and I would appreciate your help and would like to provide some details about the situation.

Firstly, I would like to work in the TMG company's head office for six mpnths in Uk in order to get more knowlgede as well as to be more sociable which help me to for my further job. Secondly, I would like to let you know that my work will be done by my partner when I will be not here as well I will explain everything avout my work what she needs to be done for me. Lastly, I would kindly ask her for my help to do handle my work while I will be not here.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sinceraly,

Manpreet Chopra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the handover plan, and the request for assistance. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the explanation of how work will be handled is vague, and the request for help is slightly confused in the final paragraph where you ask 'her' for help instead of the manager. While the task is addressed, the ideas lack the depth and professional tone required for a formal business request, keeping this at a mid-level band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and the use of transition signals like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Lastly' helps the reader follow the structure. However, the cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and there are issues with referencing. For example, in the final paragraph, you refer to 'her' for help, which is confusing as the letter is addressed to a manager (Sir/Madam). The flow is generally clear, but the logical progression is occasionally hindered by imprecise pronoun usage and awkward phrasing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and professional tone expected in a business context. There are several spelling errors, such as 'infor' (inform), 'mpnths' (months), 'knowlgede' (knowledge), and 'Sinceraly' (Sincerely). Additionally, phrases like 'to be more sociable' are somewhat informal and do not accurately convey professional development goals. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accurate spelling and using more formal, business-appropriate collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'which help me to for my further job' (grammatically incomplete) and 'my work will be done by my partner when I will be not here' (awkward word order). There are also issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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