General Training Task 1 — Job Application Letter
Your local library is looking for a part-time assistant to work on weekends. Write a letter to the library manager applying for the job. In your letter: say why you are interested in the job, describe any relevant experience or skills you have, and explain when you are available.
Band 6.5
Dear Sir or Madam,
I saw your advertisement for a part-time library assistant and I want to apply for this job. I am a student at the city college and I am looking for weekend work.
I love books and reading. Last year I worked in a bookshop in the summer, and I helped customers find books and worked on the till. I can use computers well and I learn new systems fast. I am friendly and I like helping people. I also speak two languages, English and Spanish, so I can help many visitors.
I am free every Saturday and Sunday, all day. I can start on the first weekend of next month, and I can come for an interview any afternoon after 3 p.m.
Please contact me by email if you want more information. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Lucia Fernandez
Band 7.5
Dear Ms Hartley,
I would like to apply for the part-time library assistant position advertised on the library noticeboard. As a second-year student at the city college and a regular borrower myself, I know the library well and would welcome the chance to work there.
My experience is closely relevant. Last summer I worked in a bookshop, where I shelved and categorised stock, helped customers trace titles through the catalogue system, and handled payments at the till. I am confident with library software from the user side and quick to learn new systems, and because I speak English and Spanish fluently I can assist a wide range of visitors, including the many Spanish-speaking families who use the children's section.
I am available all day every Saturday and Sunday, and could also cover occasional Friday evenings during exam periods. I can start on the first weekend of next month and am available for interview any weekday afternoon after 3 p.m.
I enclose my CV and would be glad to provide references on request. Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Lucia Fernandez
Where the band is won
Task Achievement: Both hit interest, experience and availability. The 7.5 letter is addressed to a named manager, ties each skill to this library (its catalogue, its children's section, its visitors) and adds availability beyond the asked minimum — evidence of a real applicant, not a template.
Coherence & Cohesion: 6.5 jumps from books to languages to availability. 7.5 gives each paragraph one job — motivation, matched experience, availability — and threads them with referencing ('from the user side', 'on request').
Lexical Resource: 7.5 uses work-register collocations precisely: 'shelved and categorised stock', 'trace titles', 'cover occasional Friday evenings', 'references on request'. 6.5 relies on general claims ('I can use computers well', 'I learn fast').
Grammar: 7.5 sustains formal conditional and passive forms ('would welcome', 'advertised on the noticeboard') and fronted adverbials with full control; 6.5 is accurate but plain, with repeated 'I am / I can' sentence openings.
