Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my interest to baby sit your kid while living at your house. I am 25 year old, female, currently living in Sydney.

I am in the country on a work visa and working with a childcare center in downtown Sydney. I am highly interested in this job as I love working with elementary aged children, and making new connections in the city. As a result, I can practice the skills I learned in my childhood educator course, and spend some time with new friends.

I have 7 years of experience working with children of age groups 3 to 10. Moreover, I actively organize student friendly activities like summer camps, art camps, sport camps, STEM workshops, and volunteer at different schools as well.

Apart from the job, I like to spend time volunteering at a local recreation center and public library. Additionally, I read books, and play ice hockey with my colleagues on weekends. Hoping to hear from you soon. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Paul Anderson

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining the interest in the job, detailing suitability, and describing free-time activities. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal application. However, the response contains a significant inconsistency: the writer introduces themselves as 'Paul Anderson' at the end, but refers to themselves as 'female' in the first paragraph. This contradiction impacts the clarity of the persona. Additionally, while the ideas are relevant, they could be developed with more depth to fully meet the requirements of a high band score. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is left with a good understanding of the candidate's background and intentions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Apart from', and 'Additionally' are used to link sentences and ideas effectively. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the gender inconsistency mentioned in the task achievement section creates a minor confusion in the reader's mind regarding the identity of the writer. Overall, the structure is sound and supports the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their experience and interests clearly. There is an attempt to use specific terminology related to the job, such as 'childcare center', 'elementary aged children', and 'STEM workshops'. However, the range is somewhat limited and lacks the sophistication or precision expected at higher bands. Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'interest to baby sit your kid' (should be 'interest in babysitting your child') and 'student friendly activities'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the intended meaning without difficulty, it does not demonstrate a wide or flexible range of lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am 25 year old' (should be '25 years old'), 'working with a childcare center' (should be 'working at'), and 'children of age groups 3 to 10' (should be 'aged 3 to 10'). Punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence structure is occasionally repetitive. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The majority of sentences are understandable, but the control over complex structures is not yet consistent enough for a band 7 or above.

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

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