Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-27

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 Ma’am/Sir,

I hope you are doing well.

I am writing to you regarding the advertisement I saw in Australian magazine and I am interested on staying for six months and to take care of your six years old child.

I have experience for taking care of children from my previous employers and you can review to my references. I love this job because I like kids and I have daughter and son. In addition, you can rely on me for household chores however I have less experience for cooking. More over, if you hire me I can do tutor with your child if we have free time.

During my free time of stay in Australia, I can study cooking skills for additional knowledge and can help you in the future.

I hope you can consider my application and please contact me if there’s any questions you needed.

Faithfully yours,

Jessica

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for interest, suitability, and plans for free time. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the explanation of why you would be a suitable person is brief, relying on a general statement about having children. The plan for free time is also somewhat vague, focusing only on cooking. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your experience—perhaps by describing specific childcare duties you have performed—and provide more detail about your interests in Australia beyond just learning to cook. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure is quite basic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, you use 'In addition' and 'More over' to link sentences, but the flow between ideas remains a bit disjointed. The referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea to create a more logical progression throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic terms like 'like kids' and 'do tutor', which are somewhat informal or grammatically imprecise. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'interested on' (should be 'interested in') and 'review to my references' (should be 'check my references'). To improve, aim for more sophisticated collocations and precise terminology related to childcare and professional correspondence. Using a wider range of vocabulary would help convey your suitability for the position more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include 'experience for taking care' (should be 'experience in taking care'), 'six years old child' (should be 'six-year-old child'), and 'if there’s any questions you needed' (should be 'if there are any questions you have'). The use of articles and prepositions is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions, and try to incorporate more varied sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

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