Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-19

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter to request you that I would like to spend six months working in our head office at manitoba, canada that I recently see some projects related companies which is already active in that province under observation of our company.

In current time, our company is taking a stringent stand in the international trade and its many deals. So, I already have got the many documental works like tendering, many short contracts and bridging with other standard popular companies there. I see some effective movements trading transaction through our company is highly sensitive, So, that's reason I wish to go our head office where I can do all the projects with the effective way and can keep watch eagle eye on our projects.

Now, most our pending works of domestic office has been completing in next two weeks and if you allow me and I would go at head office then my office mate punit already has learnt all office work by me and they would completely done in without my presence.

If I will get the mail from our head office with the flight tickets, it would be best for me and can be focused on other arrangement like hotel booking, transportations through the help of executive assistant from our head office.

I hope you would allow to me to work at head office and I looking forward your reply soon.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Ramesh Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: explaining the reason for the request, proposing a solution for your current workload, and asking for assistance. However, the development of these ideas is hindered by unclear expression. For example, your explanation of why you want to go to the head office is difficult to follow due to awkward phrasing like 'effective movements trading transaction'. While the purpose is clear, the lack of precision in your arguments makes the letter less professional. To improve, ensure that your explanations are logically structured and clearly articulated to ensure the reader fully understands your professional motivation and the feasibility of your plan.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the flow of ideas is often interrupted by awkward transitions and confusing sentence structures. For instance, the transition between discussing your current work and your colleague Punit is abrupt. While you use some cohesive devices like 'if' and 'so', they are often used incorrectly or in a way that makes the text feel mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'they would completely done in', where the pronoun 'they' does not clearly refer to the work. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun reference would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally limited and often inaccurate. You rely on basic phrasing and struggle with collocations, such as 'documental works' instead of 'documentation' or 'paperwork', and 'bridging with other standard popular companies' which is not standard business English. There are also instances of word-choice errors that impede clarity, such as 'under observation of our company' and 'keep watch eagle eye'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on learning business-related collocations and using more precise terminology. Currently, the vocabulary is just sufficient to convey the basic message, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter that occasionally make the meaning difficult to grasp. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('most our pending works... has been completing'), incorrect verb tenses ('I recently see'), and awkward sentence construction ('I am writing this letter to request you that I would like to'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they are often faulty, such as 'if you allow me and I would go at head office then my office mate punit already has learnt all office work by me'. You need to focus on basic sentence structure and verb tense consistency to improve your accuracy.

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

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