Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-12

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)

Mr. Zoe,

I hope you are doing well. My name is manpreet kaur and i am writing this letter to inquire about the job placement as i am willing to apply in this vacancy.

The reason is to choose this job because i have more than five years experience in daycare and I understand the value of taking care of children. At my previous workplace, my responsibilities included bathing, feeding, grooming and provided quality of life which makes me more eligible to take the responsibility of your children.

In my free time, i would create some amusement activities for your children and try to teach some informative skills as well because i would like to spend free time with your children and i am curious to learn more so i am going to make this time worthwhile.

I hope you would consider my application and would provide a prompt response.

Thanks and regards,

Manpreet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The letter gives a relevant reason for applying—your five years of daycare experience—and mentions childcare duties such as bathing and feeding. However, the task’s three points are not all addressed clearly. Your suitability is only briefly supported, with no specific example of caring for a six-year-old, and the free-time point is misinterpreted: “create some amusement activities for your children” describes time spent working with the child, rather than what you would do in your own free time in Australia. The opening also does not follow the requested “Dear Sir or Madam,” and “Mr. Zoe” is unclear. Develop each point directly, including personal interests or places you hope to visit, to make the response more complete and purposeful.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable letter structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for the reason for applying and free-time plans, and a closing. This helps the reader identify the main topics. However, progression is limited because the suitability details are folded into the paragraph about your motivation, and the free-time paragraph shifts between activities for the child and your own curiosity without a clear link. The repeated use of “because” also makes connections feel mechanical. Use one paragraph for each task point and connect ideas more precisely—for example, explain how your childcare experience makes you suitable, then separately describe your plans outside work. A conventional salutation and sign-off would also make the format clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for childcare, including “daycare,” “bathing,” “feeding,” and “grooming,” so the reader can understand your experience. There are also attempts at more formal expressions such as “inquire about the job placement” and “consider my application.” However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, including “choose this job,” “provided quality of life,” and “informative skills.” “Amusement activities” is also an unnatural choice in this context. These expressions reduce precision, even though the general meaning is usually recoverable. Prefer natural collocations such as “apply for the position,” “provide quality care,” and “educational activities,” and use vocabulary that distinguishes work duties from leisure plans.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple statements and longer sentences, such as the sentence beginning “At my previous workplace,” which combines a setting, duties, and a claim about suitability. The main message remains understandable. However, control is uneven in longer constructions: “my responsibilities included bathing, feeding, grooming and provided” mixes grammatical forms, while “The reason is to choose this job because…” is awkwardly structured. There are also errors in capitalization, including “i” and the name “manpreet kaur,” and the opening sentence has an unclear addressee. Aim for parallel forms after “included” (for example, a list of -ing verbs), and check sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation before submitting.

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

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