Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-21

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 or Madam,

I hope you are doing well.

I read an article in magazine and I would like to tell you that I am interested in an opportunity of taking care of your six months old child.

I tell you about myself as I came here in 2022 as an international student. I completed my studies in medical field. I am planning to get certification for six months medical course so that I am looking for a decent part time job. I like to get this job of childcare since I am also looking for an accommodation for six months. I guess this job will fulfill my both requirements.

I came from a joint family background from India so that I can stay with your family for this job comfortably. I can also take care of your child since I learnt about childcare during my recent studies. I used to spend my free time in household chores such as folding a clothes as well as cleaning my space. This healthy habits of childcare worker are also good for child.

If you have any other questions about myself, feel free to contact me on given cellphone number [redacted phone].

I hope you will contact me for offer this job.

Thank you,

XYZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt, which is a positive start. However, there is a significant misunderstanding regarding the child's age; the prompt specifies a 'six-year-old', but you refer to a 'six months old' child. This is a critical error in task interpretation. Furthermore, while you mention your background and interest, the section regarding how you would spend your free time is underdeveloped. You mention household chores, but this does not clearly explain how you would spend your leisure time in Australia. To improve, ensure you read the prompt details carefully and provide more specific, relevant information for each requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used, though the transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt. For example, the jump from your medical studies to your accommodation needs feels slightly disjointed. You use some cohesive devices like 'since' and 'as well as', but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more naturally. The overall progression of ideas is clear, but the mechanical nature of some sentences limits the score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your intentions clearly. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'I read an article in magazine' (missing an article) and 'I like to get this job' (which is slightly informal). You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with collocations, such as 'folding a clothes' (should be 'folding clothes'). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to childcare and professional correspondence, and pay closer attention to article usage and pluralization.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while not preventing communication, are noticeable. Common issues include missing articles ('in magazine'), incorrect verb forms ('I tell you about myself'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('This healthy habits... are'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction often feels repetitive. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and plural/singular agreement, which would significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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

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