Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-24

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 or Madam,

I am writing to to let you know about my request to work for half a year in the company overseas branch head office.

To begin with, i am the secretery in this company for several years in this loaction and i have gain more experiece now. Some of my batch office mate already tranfer in other branch on abroad, I think i have the capacity work under pressure and i want to show them how i work, i would like to tranfer there because of the nice office and the benifets there is absolutely remarkable that no ohter campanies can give that previlage to an employee.

Secondly, my colleagues right now is very supportive and kind they told me to pursue what best for me and they will handle the work that iv'e been left for about six months.

I am very pleased if you can help me arrange a document about my request and send it to our boss

I am looking for you emmidiate response

Sincerely Yours,

Andrew Wiggins

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You make the central request clear: you want to spend six months at the overseas head office, and you give reasons including gaining experience and seeing how you perform in another branch. You also address how work might continue by saying your colleagues will handle your duties, and you ask for help arranging the request. However, the explanation of how your responsibilities would be managed is brief and does not clarify which tasks could be delegated or how continuity would be ensured. The request for help is also somewhat unclear: “arrange a document” and “send it to our boss” do not specify what support you need from your manager. Develop these points and make your reasons more focused on professional benefits to address every part more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening request, paragraphs introduced by “To begin with” and “Secondly,” and a closing. This helps the reader follow the main stages of your message. The progression is not always smooth, however: the first main paragraph combines your experience, colleagues’ transfers, your ability to work under pressure, and benefits at the other office in one long sequence. The link between these ideas is not always clear, and “Secondly” introduces the work-cover point without a clear first numbered point. Separate the reasons from the practical arrangements, and use clearer references to connect ideas. A more specific closing request would also make the letter’s purpose easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to a workplace request, including “head office,” “work under pressure,” “supportive,” and “arrange.” These choices communicate the general situation. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural phrases are noticeable, such as “secretery,” “tranfer,” “batch office mate,” and “nice office.” The phrase “the benefits there is absolutely remarkable” is also awkward and makes the intended point less clear. Aim for accurate, professional wording and collocations suited to a formal letter, such as describing the experience you hope to gain or the responsibilities colleagues could cover. Proofreading spelling and choosing more precise terms would make your message easier to understand and more appropriate for your manager.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can generally identify your main request. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “Some of my batch office mate already tranfer in other branch on abroad” has problems with subject–verb agreement, tense, and sentence construction; “my colleagues right now is” also has an agreement error. The opening “I am writing to to let you know” repeats a word, while “I am very pleased if you can help” uses an unsuitable conditional structure. Break long sentences into clearer units, check agreement and verb forms, and use a direct request such as “I would be grateful if you could help me arrange this.” This would improve accuracy while retaining sentence variety.

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

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