Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-21

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to inform you that I have moved to Moxon Place, which is beside the downtown area of Williams Lake. I have noticed that the frequency of public bus service is poor. Moreover, there are only two bus stops in the whole area, which makes the condition even worse.

There are only two buses at 8 a.m. and 9.00 a.m at weekdays. Many people need to go to work in early mornings before 8.00 a.m. Therefore, it is challenging for those who do not own private vehicles. I face the same situation and cannot afford to buy my own car. This impacts my working hours negatively and the same happens with many people of my locality.

I would suggest to increase the public transport service from Monday to Friday especially in the mornings. It will be convenient for the common people of our area. It will be pocket-friendly for working class as the cab service is unaffordable on everyday basis.

I look forward to your prompt response and a swift resolution to this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Jasreen Sandhu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0

The response is completely off-topic. The task required a letter to a manager requesting a six-month transfer to a head office, including specific details about work coverage and assistance. Instead, the student wrote a letter to an official or local authority complaining about public bus services. Because the response fails to address any of the bullet points or the core purpose of the prompt, it cannot be assessed for task achievement in the context of the assigned task. It is a total failure to address the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized as a formal complaint. It uses clear paragraphing and cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Therefore', and 'I would suggest'. While the content is irrelevant to the prompt, the internal structure of the text itself is coherent, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. The progression of ideas is logical within the context of a complaint letter, though this does not compensate for the failure to address the actual task instructions.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for a formal letter. The student uses phrases like 'frequency of public bus service', 'private vehicles', and 'swift resolution'. There is a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the message clearly, although it is not particularly sophisticated or varied. The word choice is generally accurate for the topic of public transport, and there are no significant spelling or collocation errors that impede the reader's understanding of the complaint.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'at weekdays' (should be 'on weekdays') and 'increase the public transport service' (should be 'increase public transport services'). However, these errors are minor and do not impede communication. The control of punctuation and sentence structure is generally good, and the tone is appropriately formal for a letter of complaint.

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

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