Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12

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/ma,

I am writing this letter with regards to the advert i saw in the Australian magazine about a care job.

I have an expert experience in the hospitality with about 5years working experience. I have work in a care home taking care of the disable and have also work in a children care department, with my past experience, in the care job i will work well if given the opportunity to work .

However, when am on duties i will make sure I keep the environment Clean and do the right things ,take care of the children and family .

Moreover, on my free time i could also visit my family and spend some time with them,also attend to my needs, have some rest before returning back to work. This will help me refresh myself and be focus at work.

I, wil be glad if you consider my humble request

Best regards

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for applying, suitability, and free-time activities. However, the development is quite thin. While you mention your experience in hospitality and care, the details are vague and lack specific examples of how these skills would apply to a six-year-old child. The tone is somewhat informal and lacks the professional polish expected in a formal application letter. To improve, you should expand on your specific childcare experience and provide more concrete details about your personality or skills that would make you a great fit for this particular family.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a letter format. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'also'. Some sentences are poorly linked, making the flow feel a bit choppy. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas more smoothly, such as 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', or 'In addition to this', and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. You rely on simple terms like 'work' and 'job' throughout the text. There are also some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'expert experience' (which is redundant) and 'the disable' (which should be 'people with disabilities'). The range is sufficient to communicate your basic message, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score. You should aim to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to childcare and professional experience to demonstrate a broader range of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('I have work', 'I, wil be'), punctuation (missing spaces after commas, incorrect capitalisation), and sentence structure. The range of structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation is distracting and impacts the overall quality of the writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic errors and attempting more complex sentence structures would significantly improve your score.

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

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