Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-02

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,

Good day to you. My name is Abigail, and I recently moved to Australia 2 months ago. I am writing to apply for the live-in babysitter position. I came across the job advertisement on the Australian magazine, and I decided to reach out.

I am a part-time student who is currently on a long school vacation. I decided to apply for the job because I am on holidays for the next 7 months. I am also very good with children, and I love them a lot.

As the eldest child in my family, I am equipped with the needed skills to look after children and deliver the best result. I am also good with making children friendly meals and spending quality time with them. I am calm, dedicated and patient. These skills will serve me well for the job.

On days when I am off work, I plan on taking a part-time course on Child Care management. I also plan on visiting new places in Australia and trying out different food.

Thank you very much for your time. I do hope to get feedback from you in due time.

Yours faithfully,

Osahon Abigail

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explain your motivation for applying, provide relevant details regarding your suitability as a babysitter, and outline your plans for your free time. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a potential employer. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific examples of your experience with children, such as mentioning specific activities you enjoy or how you have handled challenging situations in the past, which would add more depth to your application.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the information easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'I am also', 'On days when', and 'These skills' to link your ideas. While the structure is sound, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to create a more natural flow between sentences and paragraphs, which would elevate the overall coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using words like 'equipped', 'dedicated', and 'management' appropriately. The language is clear and conveys your meaning effectively. However, the vocabulary is somewhat basic and lacks the precision or sophistication that would characterize a higher band score. For instance, phrases like 'good with children' or 'love them a lot' are quite simple. To improve, aim to use more precise collocations and a broader range of descriptive language to showcase your ability to communicate in a more professional and nuanced manner.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your grammar is generally accurate. Most sentences are error-free, and your meaning is always clear. There are minor issues, such as 'I recently moved to Australia 2 months ago' (the use of 'recently' and '2 months ago' is redundant) and 'on the Australian magazine' (should be 'in'). While you show good control, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. Incorporating more varied sentence patterns, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, would demonstrate a higher level of grammatical flexibility.

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

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