Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-06
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
You have seen an advertisement in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six-year-old child.
Write a letter to the parents. In your letter
- explain why you would like the job
- give details of why you would be a suitable person to employ
- say how you would spend your free time while you are in Australia
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I hope you are doing great. I'm Tapasya, a caretaker in Australia I have seen your advertisement that you are looking for a nanny who takes care of your six year old child.
Firstly, I would like to inform you that I love children and I want to apply for this job opportunity. This profession is not only my source of income but it also helps me in feeling alive.
Being a caretaker not only mean that you only fulfill child's need but you should also understand and listen to them. Because mostly day time they spend is with the nanny instead of parents. So, the behavior and personality will reflect on children. And I have all these qualities that makes me best fit for this job role.
On the other hand, I want to mention you that I'm college student who would like to spend their time with children and that makes me very jolly. If I got this opportunity then this will add value in the life of your kids and me.
Looking forward for your response.
Thank you
Tapasya
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed all three bullet points of the task, although the development of ideas is somewhat limited. You explained why you want the job and why you are suitable, but the third requirement—how you would spend your free time—was not addressed. You mentioned being a college student, but you did not explicitly state how you would spend your leisure time in Australia. To improve, ensure each bullet point is given a dedicated sentence or two of detail. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though it could be slightly more professional in its structure.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, you use 'Firstly' and 'On the other hand', but the transition between ideas within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt. The logical flow is occasionally hindered by sentence structures that feel a bit disjointed. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') clearly points back to the intended noun.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'job opportunity' and 'caretaker'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some awkward collocations, such as 'helps me in feeling alive' and 'makes me very jolly'. These phrases sound slightly unnatural in a professional context. To improve, focus on learning common collocations used in job applications and try to incorporate more precise adjectives and verbs to describe your skills and motivations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For instance, 'Being a caretaker not only mean that you only fulfill child's need' contains subject-verb agreement errors and missing articles. Additionally, 'mostly day time they spend is with the nanny' is syntactically awkward. While these errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency of your writing. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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