Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-18

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 hope you will find letter well. I would like to request about work in the head office in another country.

I want to work in the company's head office for six months because it is best option for me to gain knowledge and complete my student placement. It not only allows me acquire experience about head office but also helps understand different perspectives about various concepts.

The work would be done by other co-workers while i am away because they have experience about work.

Lastly, i would like you to make some arrangements by decreasing the work loads and prove my leave for six months. I would really appreciate it.

Your Faithfully,

Sunpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the reason for wanting to work in the head office, explaining how the work would be handled during the absence, and asking for help with arrangements. However, the ideas are quite brief and under-developed. Furthermore, the response is under the required word count, coming in at 117 words instead of the minimum 150 words. This negative impact on word count directly affects the fullness of task completion, placing the response at a Band 5.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter follows a basic logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing the prompt points, and a sign-off. Paragraphing is attempted, though some paragraphs are very short and abrupt. Cohesive devices are used minimally and somewhat repetitively (e.g., 'It not only allows...', 'Lastly, i would like...'). Referencing is mostly clear, but the overall progression of ideas feels disjointed due to the brevity of the sentences. This fits the Band 5.0 descriptor for organisation and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'gain knowledge', 'student placement', and 'different perspectives'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'prove my leave' instead of 'approve my leave', and 'work loads'. The range is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message, corresponding to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complex sentences often feature grammatical errors. Examples include 'I hope you will find letter well' (missing article/pronoun) and 'while i am away because they have experience about work' (uncapitalised 'i' and awkward prepositional usage). There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause some difficulty for the reader, which aligns with Band 5.0 criteria.

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

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