Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-28
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 manager,
Iam writing this letter to infrom you that I want to work in headoffice in India for 6 months beacuse my father is sick and admitted in hospital due to that I am located in Canada which makes difficult me for to work and stay by father side
I know it is sudden but is very crucial for me I also talk to my team head and team explain my overall situation they have no issues ,ready to support me and also arrange a person to do my work in my absence and all my remaining works, they tried to finish and they also provide all the necessary help and support If u hire any intern for my position I am ready to give all help to that intern so to complete the work smootly
I just need your help to arrange this tranfer for me I can work there for atleast 6 months and after that I am return to canada for work
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response covers all three bullet points from the prompt: it explains the reason for wanting to work at the head office in India (caring for a sick father in hospital while based in Canada), outlines how the work could be managed in the writer's absence (colleagues supporting, finishing remaining work, and willingness to help an intern), and asks the manager for help in arranging the transfer. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and the tone is informal and direct for a professional correspondence. The structure touches on all requirements adequately, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor where all parts are addressed, though some ideas lack full professional elaboration.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The letter lacks proper paragraphing, presented instead as a single large block of text which makes it harder to follow the logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, with run-on sentences and a lack of appropriate punctuation. For instance, sentences like 'I know it is sudden but is very crucial for me I also talk to my team head...' demonstrate a lack of sentence boundary control and cohesive markers. While the overall purpose of the letter remains coherent, the structural flaws and poor paragraphing place this clearly at Band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary to communicate the basic situation, employing work-related terms such as 'team head', 'intern', and 'transfer'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'infrom' instead of inform, 'headoffice' as one word, and 'beacuse' instead of because. The phrasing is often repetitive and simplistic, showing limited flexibility. These errors are noticeable and cause some minor difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The text relies heavily on simple sentences and long, unpunctuated run-on structures connected by coordinating conjunctions or commas splices, such as '...due to that I am located in Canada which makes difficult me for to work and stay by father side'. There is a very limited range of accurate complex structures, and frequent grammatical errors involving prepositions, word order, and missing articles. These errors occur frequently and occasionally impede the flow of reading, which aligns with a Band 5 level of grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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