Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-03
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 because I have seen a advertisement in Australian magazine regarding care taking of six year old child .
I have a experience in caring the baby ,because I spent more times with sister's baby. It gives more passion to me towards baby. I keep on playing with baby with toys and it gives baby more comfortable with me.
I will watch baby with good care and love. If you give your job i will take care and teaches what can i do. I will tell rhymes and stories to the baby. as well as i can play with baby and give bed time.
I spend more time with my collegues and friends. In weekend we spent together in a cricket match where the match gets interested. I am full time college student and i do my part time in cafes ,libraries which will help to guide my studies.
kindly regards,
Aravinth,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for applying, suitability, and free-time plans. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the explanation of suitability relies on repetitive phrasing like 'caring the baby' and 'playing with baby' without providing specific examples of responsibilities or qualifications. The section on free time is also somewhat disconnected from the context of living with a family in Australia. To improve, you should expand on your experience with specific examples and ensure the tone is more professional and persuasive, as the current expression is quite basic and lacks the detail needed for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and often mechanical. Transitions between sentences are frequently missing or awkward, such as the abrupt shift in the third paragraph. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow of ideas feels disjointed. To achieve a higher score, you should use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') to connect your ideas more naturally and improve the overall progression of the letter.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, which restricts your ability to convey ideas with precision. You frequently use simple words like 'baby' and 'help' rather than more specific terms related to childcare or professional experience. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'care taking of' instead of 'childcare' or 'nanny position', and 'gives more passion to me' which is unnatural. To improve, focus on learning collocations related to work and childcare, and try to avoid repeating the same words in close proximity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include missing articles ('an advertisement', 'a six-year-old child'), incorrect verb forms ('caring the baby' instead of 'caring for the baby'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('it gives baby more comfortable'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around punctuation marks. While the meaning is generally clear, these frequent errors impede the flow and demonstrate a lack of control over more complex grammatical structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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