Sample response & feedback

Applying for Volunteer Work at a Local Museum

Question

View question6 sample responses · Bands 6.5–8.0

A museum near your home is looking for people to do part-time voluntary/unpaid work. You would like to do some voluntary/unpaid work at the museum. Write a letter to the museum director to apply for the voluntary/unpaid work. In your letter explain why you want to do voluntary/unpaid work at the museum describe some skills and qualities you have that would be useful give details of when you would be available for work You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,

Annotated response

9 correction notes

,

I am writing to convey how interested I am in the at the prestigious museum, which is located very close to my home.

During my childhood, I used to visit your museum with my parents, both of whom were history . This developed my interest in artifacts this work experience will help me to regarding .

I feel my thorough comprehension of British history and culture, enhanced by an amazing summer trip to England, will enable me to work in perfect harmony with the purpose of the museum. Also, my skill in public speaking and my capacity to captivate a variety of audiences would be extremely helpful in improving the experiences of guests.

On weekdays, I’m free from 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM. I am excited about becoming a part of your team.

,

Debbie Johnson

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points with relevant personal detail and a suitably formal, persuasive tone, which is its strongest aspect. The main limitations are the minor opening and sign-off lapses, a couple of word-choice and spelling slips, and the response falling marginally short of the required length.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

TA Task Achievement

7.0

The letter states its purpose and addresses all three bullets with childhood visits, relevant skills and precise weekday hours. It does not follow the prescribed salutation and uses an incorrect sign-off. The response is marginally below 150 words, and the claimed fit with the museum could be made more concrete.

CC Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas progress logically through the three bullet points with clear paragraphing and effective linking, with only minor mechanical transitions such as 'Also, my skill...'.

LR Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is varied, with expressions such as “captivate a variety of audiences”, but precision is reduced by “enthusiats”, “the Middle Age” and the collocation “fulfil my curiosity”. Some elaborate phrasing, such as “in perfect harmony with the purpose of the museum”, could also be more concrete.

GRA Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A good range of sentence structures, including relative clauses and complex forms, is used with general accuracy, with only minor errors like 'This developed my interest in artifacts and feel this work experience will help me...'.

More responses with feedback

View all 6 responses (6.5–8.0)