Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-26

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 am writing this letter responding to the advertisement published in Australian magazine last week. According to the advertisement you are looking for someone to live with you and take care of your children for six months. I am interested in taking this job.

My name is Jamil and I live in the same city as you. Although I live here for my studies, my studies will be completed by next month. As a result I have to move from my current home which is provided by my varsity. So staying with you will solve my housing problem. Also I am planning to take six months break from studies to spend some free time. During this break I can look after you child as well as spend my free time roaming around nearby places.

I will be suitable for this job because I have two younger sister and I had to take care of them while my parents were out for work. I have previous experience with children so you should not worry.

I would hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Jamil

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explain your interest, provide reasons for your suitability, and describe your plans for free time. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of your suitability relies on a brief mention of your sisters, which could be expanded to include specific childcare skills or responsibilities. Additionally, the tone is slightly informal for a formal job application letter, particularly the phrasing regarding your housing situation, which focuses more on your personal needs than the family's needs. To improve, ensure your ideas are more fully extended and professional in tone.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'As a result', 'Also', and 'Although' to connect your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider range of cohesive devices and ensure that the transition between your personal circumstances and your professional suitability is smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'advertisement', 'suitable', and 'experience'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'roaming around nearby places' (which sounds slightly informal) and 'my studies will be completed' (a more natural phrasing would be 'I will have completed my studies'). There is also a minor error in 'two younger sister', which should be pluralized. To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary and ensuring correct pluralization and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I live here for my studies' (should be 'I have been living here'), 'look after you child' (should be 'your child'), and 'my parents were out for work' (should be 'at work'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage to improve your accuracy.

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

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