Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-27

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 6.0)

I am writing to inform you about my plan to work at our head office for the next six months because I want to gain different skills in a busy schedule, which will make it possible for me to push my boundaries.

I would be grateful if you could make arrangements for me to do this well. I also want to know some important information about our head office teams; could you please let me know about their upcoming project details so that I can prepare myself to help with that team. I will be available online whenever you need me. I want to let you know that I can arrange an experienced person as my replacement. He can work as long as I am away.

Thanks for your understanding. I look forward to hearing from you and hope to attend at my corporate house.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers all bullet points required by the task prompt: they explain the reason for wanting to work in the head office, describe how work will be handled during their absence, and ask for assistance with the arrangements. However, the response falls slightly short of the minimum word requirement, containing only 145 words instead of the mandated 150. While the ideas are relevant, some parts like the explanation of how work will be done are somewhat simplistic and lack full development. Nevertheless, the tone is appropriate for a formal business letter and the purpose of the communication is clear throughout. Due to the under-length penalty and the slightly limited development of ideas, this meets the requirements for Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter features some logical organization and a clear overarching intent, but paragraphing is underdeveloped and cohesion is at times mechanical or abrupt. For instance, the transition between discussing the head office project details and mentioning the temporary replacement feels sudden. There is an over-reliance on simple cohesive devices, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the sudden shift to 'He can work as long as I am away' without a strongly established antecedent for the temporary worker. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow easily, but progression lacks flexibility. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully conveying meaning with terms like 'inform,' 'arrangements,' and 'replacement.' However, word choice and collocations are at times awkward or unnatural, such as 'push my boundaries,' 'attend at my corporate house,' or 'arrange an experienced person.' There are also some minor limitations in precision. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the core message without causing major difficulty for the reader, the lack of more sophisticated lexical control and the unnatural phrasing cap this criterion at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses such as 'which will make it possible for me' and conditionals like 'so that I can prepare myself.' However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There is a missing comma or run-on tendency in longer sentences, and punctuation at the end of sentences is occasionally omitted or misplaced, as seen with the missing question mark in 'could you please let me know about their upcoming project details'. Errors in grammar and punctuation exist, but they are generally not severe enough to impede overall communication, placing this response securely at Band 6.0.

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

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