Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-23

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A friend you made while you were studying abroad has written to ask you for help in finding a job in your country. You have heard about a job in a local company that might be suitable for him/her.

Write a letter to this friend. In your letter

• tell your friend about the job and what sort of work it involves
• say why you think the job would be suitable for him/her
• explain how to apply for the job

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

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

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear Mac,

I hope this letter finds you well. It's been a long time since last we caught up. I got your letter and glad to know that you are looking for a job in my country. I appreciate that you made this decision.

I recently came to know about a opening in a well known company which I believe suitable for you. As we did Mechanical Engineering this job is aligned with your studies. The job duties involves all the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The student has attempted to address some parts of the prompt, such as acknowledging the friend's request and mentioning a job related to Mechanical Engineering. However, the response is severely incomplete because it breaks off mid-sentence and fails to cover all bullet points, specifically omitting details about why the job is suitable and how to apply. Crucially, the response contains only 81 words, which significantly fails the 150-word minimum requirement for General Training Task 1. Because the task is substantially under-length and leaves out key content, the response meets the descriptors for Band 4.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The student uses an appropriate opening salutation and establishes a friendly tone ('Dear Mac, I hope this letter finds you well.'). The initial sentences flow logically from acknowledging the letter to mentioning the job opportunity. However, due to the abrupt ending and lack of paragraphing, it is difficult to assess overall organisation and paragraph progression. Cohesive devices are minimal, and referencing is limited. Because the text cuts off prematurely and is too brief to demonstrate full paragraph structure or coherent progression, it aligns best with Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used in the snippet is basic and functional ('well known company', 'Mechanical Engineering', 'job duties'). There is an attempt to use appropriate topic-related vocabulary, but word choice errors are present, such as 'a opening' instead of 'an opening' and 'I believe suitable' lacking the verb 'to be'. The limited length prevents the student from demonstrating a wider or more flexible lexical resource, keeping the score at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates basic sentence structures, including simple and compound sentences ('I got your letter and glad to know that you are looking...'). There are grammatical errors and missing elements, such as 'glad to know' lacking the subject and auxiliary verb ('and am glad') and 'a opening' instead of 'an opening'. Furthermore, the text trails off incomplete at the end ('The job duties involves all the...'). Because of the limited range of structures and grammatical slips, a score of Band 5.0 is appropriate.

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

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