Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-06

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,

I am writing this letter to inform you about my reasons to join this job. I am a student in Australia and I am free for six months because after giving exams.

Firstly, as I am free, i would like to do a job to cover my living expense. Additionally, I am suitable for this job as I am doing diploma in early childhood education. I have the required knowledge and skills to take care of a child. I have also done an internship at one of day care centers.

Moreover, I enjoy the company of children. I like playing and spending time with them.

As I am free I would like to spend my free time in looking after your child and visiting historical places of Australia.

Please reply me at your earliest convenience and inform me whether I got the job or not.

Yours faithfully,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for wanting the job, suitability, and plans for free time. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which impacts the overall development of ideas. While the points are relevant, they are somewhat brief. For instance, the explanation of how you would spend your free time is limited to a single sentence. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your ideas with more detail and ensure the word count requirement is met to allow for a more comprehensive response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and the progression of ideas is generally clear. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Additionally', and 'Moreover' to link your points. However, the connection between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between your internship experience and your enjoyment of children's company is a bit abrupt. Additionally, the paragraphing is somewhat inconsistent due to the short length of the response. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your points clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'diploma in early childhood education' and 'day care centers'. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive, particularly the use of 'free' and 'job'. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and collocations. For example, instead of repeating 'I am free', you could use 'I have a gap in my schedule' or 'I am currently available'. The language is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'after giving exams' (which is a fragment), 'doing diploma' (missing an article), and 'at one of day care centers' (should be 'at one of the day care centers'). Additionally, there is a minor punctuation error with the lowercase 'i'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall accuracy. Focusing on article usage and sentence completeness will help improve your score in this criterion.

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

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