Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-07

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/Madam,

Hope you are doing splendidly. My name is Komal, and I am writing this letter to inform you that I am looking for a child caretaker job.

I really love children and like to spend time with them because I have my 3 niece and nephews. When I am with them, I really enjoy those moments because, with children, I forget all the worries, and it gives me internal satisfaction.

I would like to tell you that I completed my early childhood educator course 3 months ago, which is an exact match for this job. Moreover, I did a placement at the daycare center in which i worked with children.

After being employed at your home for your child, I would like to spend time playing with him, feeding him, and changing his diaper, and also I would like to take him outside to the park where he can get fresh air which is the best thing for his health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give relevant reasons for wanting the role, including enjoying time with children and finding it satisfying, and you mention a recent early-childhood course and daycare placement as evidence of suitability. However, the response does not fully address the task: the final paragraph describes activities you would do with the child, rather than how you would spend your own free time in Australia. Your suitability is also only briefly explained; for example, you could add what you learned during your placement or how you would manage a child’s daily routine. The letter therefore responds to the task only partially, with some key information missing or under-developed. Addressing all three requested points directly would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The ideas are arranged in a generally understandable order: you introduce yourself and your purpose, explain your interest, give qualifications, and then describe activities. Paragraph breaks help separate these points, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “because” show relationships between ideas. However, the final paragraph shifts from your free time to childcare duties, so the progression does not fully match the task’s requested focus. Some connections are also repetitive, particularly the repeated explanation that you enjoy being with children. A clearer paragraph plan—one paragraph for motivation, one for relevant experience, and one for your leisure plans—would make the organisation more purposeful and the links between ideas less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant terms such as “early childhood educator course,” “placement,” and “daycare center.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “internal satisfaction” and “fresh air.” However, some choices are unnatural or imprecise in this context: “child caretaker job” is less idiomatic than “childcare position,” and “an exact match for this job” sounds overly literal. “Splendidly” is also unusually formal for this opening. The phrase “my 3 niece and nephews” contains a word-form issue that affects lexical accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and precise wording, especially when describing your experience and plans.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and longer structures, including a reason clause with “because” and a relative clause in “the daycare center in which I worked with children.” Most of your meaning remains clear, and the longer sentences show some ability to connect ideas. Some grammatical errors remain, however. For example, “I have my 3 niece and nephews” has incorrect number agreement, and “in which i worked” needs a capital “I.” The long final sentence also joins several activities together, making its structure less controlled. Review agreement and punctuation, and divide long lists into clearer sentences. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen this area.

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

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