IELTS General Training Task 1: A Band 7.5 Letter (Museum Volunteer Application), Graded
A formal letter applying to volunteer at a museum — graded band-by-band by Cuepen's AI examiner. Strong format and full coverage, held to Band 7.5 by word slips like 'I am keep' and 'it combined'.
Question:
A museum near your home is looking for people to do part-time voluntary/unpaid work. You would like to do some voluntary work at the museum. Write a letter to the museum director to apply for the voluntary work. In your letter:
- explain why you want to do voluntary 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
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,
Candidate's answer:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I wish to apply for the part-time voluntary position at your esteemed museum. Having recently graduated from the department of Archaeology, I am keep to apply my knowledge during my summer break. I am particularly interested in contributing to your museum’s mission. I am passionate about voluntary work because it allows me to give back to the community and support cultural institutions. Your museum’s receptionist role appeals to me because it combined my customer-service experience with my interest in archaeology.
I have previously worked as a receptionist at my university’s museum for three consecutive years and have performed various tasks-including ticketing and guiding the visitors. Furthermore, I got promoted to a senior staff position for my dedication and work ethics. In addition, I am willing to perform additional work during my co-workers’ absence.
I am available to begin work in early April and can commit to three months until the end of June. After this duration, I am happy to assist with the transition by documenting my responsibilities and liasing with any replacement volunteer. I await your response.
Yours faithfully,
Devaki
Full Cuepen report:
This is the complete assessment, exactly as the model returned it. Click a criterion card to filter the line-by-line view, or any flagged sentence for its feedback.
Candidate's Answer
Task Achievement feedback (2)
I am particularly interested in contributing to your museum's mission.
💡The 'why' leans on general enthusiasm ('passionate', 'give back'); one specific, museum-related motivation would make it fuller.
As an Archaeology graduate, I am keen to help catalogue and present your collections to the public.
Your museum's receptionist role appeals to me because it combined my customer-service experience with my interest in archaeology.
💡The letter fixes on a specific 'receptionist role' the advertisement never mentions; a volunteer application should stay open to the roles actually offered.
A front-of-house or visitor-services role would appeal to me most, as it would combine my customer-service experience with my interest in archaeology.
The fastest route to Band 8
- Great format: "Dear Sir or Madam" correctly pairs with "Yours faithfully", and all three bullets are covered.
- Fix the word slips: "I am keep" → "keen"; "it combined" → "combines"; "work ethics" → "a strong work ethic"; "liasing" → "liaising".
- Trim the repetitive opening — three "I am…" sentences say similar things; give one specific, museum-related reason instead.
Frequently asked questions
What band is this IELTS volunteer letter?+
It scores an overall Band 7.5 — Task Achievement 8, with Coherence, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range each at Band 7.
Why does a well-formatted letter still only get Band 7.5?+
Small but visible word errors hold it back — 'I am keep' (for 'keen'), 'it combined' (tense), 'work ethics' and the spelling 'liasing'.
Does Cuepen grade General Training letters?+
Yes — Cuepen's AI examiner scores GT Task 1, Academic Task 1 and Task 2 against all four IELTS criteria with line-by-line feedback.
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