Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-06

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 or Madam,

I have recently saw an advertisement in the magazine that you are looking for a full-time house keeper and a babysitter for six months. I would like to express my interest for this job because I will enhance my skills while working for your family.

With my background, in Early Childhood Education, I believe I am a strong candidate to employ. I will do my best to do your household duties on time, and take full responsibilities of your child. As a mother, I will treat your six-year-old child as my own child. I have attached my resume for your consideration. I look forward for the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to minimize your household responsibilities.

In free time, I would love to visit my family and spend some quality time with them. I would fulfill my tasks and return back as soon as possible.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you regarding the next steps.

Yours sincerely,

Ramandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, but some points are handled more fully than others. You successfully explained why you would like the job by mentioning your desire to enhance your skills, and you provided details of your background in Early Childhood Education to show suitability. However, the section regarding how you would spend your free time is somewhat underdeveloped and contradictory. Stating that you would 'visit my family' is unrealistic given that the job is in Australia, suggesting a slight misunderstanding of the context. To reach a higher band, all bullet points need to be fully explored with realistic and extended ideas that directly relate to the scenario provided.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a generally coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning and ending, adopting the requested formal salutation 'Dear Sir or Madam,'. Paragraphing is used to separate different ideas, such as your background, duties, and free time. However, cohesion at times feels a bit mechanical or abrupt. For instance, the transition into the paragraph about free time lacks a smooth connection to the preceding sentences about household responsibilities. Additionally, referencing could be improved to make the flow of information more natural. To achieve a higher level of coherence and cohesion, you should ensure that cohesive devices link your sentences logically and that your paragraph transitions are seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary range is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your general message about applying for the childcare position. You make some attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'enhance my skills' and 'background in Early Childhood Education.' However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as writing 'house keeper' as two words and the phrase 'take full responsibilities,' where the singular 'responsibility' is required. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect a limited and minimally adequate range. To improve your lexical score, focus on precise word forms, correct collocations, and natural phrasing appropriate for a professional job application.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside a few basic attempts at complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. A notable example is the tense error in the opening sentence: 'I have recently saw,' which should be 'I have recently seen' or 'I recently saw.' Other issues include preposition and phrasal verb usage, such as 'look forward for,' which should be 'look forward to.' These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally puzzle over the meaning and prevent the grammar score from rising higher. To improve, aim to diversify your sentence patterns and carefully proofread your verb tenses and prepositions.

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

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