Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-12

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

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear ,Summit Kumar

I am writing this letter to request you for shifting my job location for limited period of time .

The main reason that I have to change my job location is ,my sister is in canada and I am going to visit her on her birthday which is in december month and I am going to surprice her with my visit.I know that our company head office is in canada which can be so helpful for me because I will get the chance to work with people who have significant work experince,which will help me to learn new things while visiting my sister on her special day also it will fulfill financial needs too.

I know that it is not going to be the easy process .However, I believe that If you will put a request for me it might be considered by the head office looking over my work experince with the company.I did all the arrangement for my work while I will away from my office .

I will kindly wait for your responce on this matter .

Thanks

Arjun kumar

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose by requesting a temporary move to the Canadian head office, and you give a personal reason: visiting your sister for her birthday. You also mention learning from experienced colleagues and ask your manager to support a request to head office. However, the work-arrangement point is not adequately explained: “I did all the arrangement for my work while I will away from my office” does not say what tasks will be covered or how they will be completed. The reason for the transfer also focuses more on the visit than on the professional value of spending six months at the head office. Develop both points clearly and make the six-month period explicit to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a broadly sensible order: it states the request, explains the reason, mentions the work arrangements, and closes by asking for a response. This gives the reader a basic sense of purpose. However, the ideas are crowded into long paragraphs, and the transition from visiting your sister to professional development and financial needs is abrupt. The sentence beginning “The main reason” contains several ideas without clear separation, while “However” does not lead to a fully developed contrast. Use separate paragraphs for the request and reasons, the proposed work plan, and the request for assistance. Clearer linking and more precise references would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant workplace and formal-letter vocabulary, including “head office,” “work experience,” “request,” and “considered,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, such as “shifting my job location,” “financial needs,” and “put a request for me.” Spelling errors, including “surprice,” “experince,” and “responce,” also make the writing less polished and can distract the reader. Choose more precise expressions for a temporary transfer and for your manager’s support, and check spelling carefully. This would help you communicate the professional purpose more naturally and accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, for example, the sentence explaining your sister’s birthday and the one beginning “I know that it is not going to be…” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. Examples include “I am writing this letter to request you for shifting,” “If you will put a request,” and “while I will away,” where verb patterns and tense forms are not controlled. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, particularly in the long explanation paragraph. Practise accurate request structures (“I am writing to request…”) and consistent future or conditional forms, then divide long sentences into clearer units.

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