Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-20

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 Madam,

I am writing in response to an advert in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six-year-old child.

I would like the job because it is a means for me to meet new family outside the people I have known before. It is also a gate way of meeting and taking care of a baby which I love doing always.

I am suitable for this job because I am a well trained nurse, who specialize in newborn/infant care in the hospital. I am a professional in that field. It will give me the opportunity to experience working outside the facility and also learning more.

I would be in Australia for eight months and I am free except the days I would be spending with your family and baby. During my free time, I planned on visiting some places I have not visited before namely, parks, beaches. I have heard a lot about the museum, I scheduled going there too.

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Lynda.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining your motivation, highlighting your suitability as a nurse, and describing your plans for free time. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, when discussing your suitability, you mention being a nurse but do not elaborate on how these skills specifically apply to a six-year-old child. Additionally, the explanation for why you want the job is a bit vague. To improve, try to provide more specific details or examples to support your points, which would help in achieving a higher band score by demonstrating a more thorough development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on one of the required points. The use of paragraphing is appropriate. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite basic and sometimes repetitive. For instance, you rely heavily on simple sentence structures and basic transitions. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition to this') to connect your ideas more fluidly. The progression of information is clear, but the overall flow could be enhanced by improving the transition between sentences within the paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have used an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, such as 'professional', 'facility', and 'consideration'. However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'meet new family' instead of 'meet a new family' or 'a gate way of meeting'. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and idiomatic expressions that are appropriate for a formal letter. Expanding your vocabulary related to childcare and professional experience would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I planned on visiting' (should be 'I plan to visit' for future intent) and 'except the days I would be spending' (which is slightly awkward). There are also minor punctuation and article usage errors throughout the text. To reach a higher band, focus on maintaining consistent verb tenses and improving your control over complex sentence structures. Proofreading for small errors like subject-verb agreement and article usage will also help improve your accuracy.

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

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