Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-26

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,

I am writing this letter to inform you that as an international company employee, i want to work in the head office for six months in a different country.

I want to work in the new branch because for getting more experience and knowledge in my field ,so that i am having more ideas and planning in my future to improve my skills .

I will make sure about my work that it will be managed properly and should be done before due dates I will handle my both works professionally.

I am also requesting you to please help me whenever i need help from you and support me so that i can do well over there as you are having more experience .

I look forward to hearing a response from you soon .

Yours Sincerely

Mehak Bhardwaj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for the request, the management of current duties, and the request for assistance. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The explanation for wanting to work at the head office is quite brief, and the plan for managing current work lacks specific detail. To improve, you should expand on how your current responsibilities will be delegated or completed remotely to provide a more convincing and professional argument. Because the response is under-length, it cannot reach the higher bands for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purpose of the letter to the specific requirements. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and mechanical. For example, the transition between the reason for the request and the plan for managing work is abrupt. Paragraphing is also insufficient; the entire body of the letter is presented as a single block of text, which makes it harder to follow. Using more varied linking words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in order to' would help improve the flow and logical progression of your ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'I want to work' and 'I am writing this letter' are functional but lack the professional tone expected in a formal business request. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'having more ideas and planning in my future'. To improve, you should aim for more precise, professional vocabulary related to business and career development. Expanding your range of synonyms and using more formal collocations will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include incorrect pronoun usage ('i' instead of 'I'), subject-verb agreement errors ('i am having more ideas'), and awkward phrasing ('I will make sure about my work that it will be managed'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and periods. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic errors and sentence structure will be beneficial.

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.