Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-04

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 madam,

I saw your your job offer about baby sitting your kid .

i would like to apply for this job , it's a great opportunity for me to save rent, make money and do something I'm good at it in the same time .

you see i have a little experience in looking after childrens at this age , i have 2 younger siblings that i used to look after them all the time while my parents were busy, my relationship with them was the best even after they grow up , i think I'm suitable for this job.

and with the six months time I'm staying with you would help me with avoiding the rent costs, so I'm gonna invest my money on developing myself I'm thinking about taking some IT courses in my free time, and also joining a gym for health and becoming social with the neighbors and the community.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three points: you explain that the job would let you save money and do work you enjoy, describe caring for your younger siblings, and mention IT courses, the gym, and meeting the community in your free time. These details are relevant, but the reasons for wanting the job and your suitability are only briefly developed. For example, you say your relationship with your siblings was good, but do not give a specific example of how you cared for them or what skills this gave you. The letter also lacks a clear, appropriately formal closing and could more directly reassure the parents that you can care for their six-year-old. Develop these points to make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The ideas follow a generally understandable order: you introduce the job, explain your interest and experience, then describe your plans for free time. However, the response is presented as one continuous block, so the different purposes of the letter are not clearly separated. Some links are also awkward or repetitive: “and with the six months time” does not smoothly introduce your plans, while the repeated explanation about saving rent makes the progression less focused. Use separate paragraphs for your application, childcare experience, and free-time plans, and connect them with clear transitions. A conventional closing would also help the letter feel complete and organised.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “job offer,” “experience,” “younger siblings,” and “IT courses.” However, the range is limited and several choices are informal or inaccurate for a letter to prospective employers. “Baby sitting your kid” and “make money” sound casual, while “childrens” is an incorrect plural form and “do something I'm good at it” is awkward. Repetition of “free time” and “rent” also limits variety. Choose more precise childcare and application vocabulary, and use a consistently polite register. This would make your meaning clearer and the letter more suitable for its audience.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on simple clauses joined into long sentences, and attempts at more complex structures are often inaccurate. For example, “I have 2 younger siblings that I used to look after them” uses an unnecessary object pronoun, and “while my parents were busy” is attached to a sentence that becomes difficult to follow. There are also errors in capitalization and punctuation, such as starting sentences with lowercase “i” and using spaces before commas or full stops. The meaning is generally recoverable, but these recurring problems reduce clarity and control. Practise forming shorter, complete sentences and check pronouns, sentence boundaries, and capitalization.

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

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