Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-03
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
- explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday
- describe some possible disadvantages
- say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ................. ,
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear John,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to give some suggestions for planning of camping. I have experience about it, so I would like to suggest you few things.
First of all, it is essential to pick neccesary items such as a tent, sleeping bag, comfortable clothes, battery or light. Furthermore, you must put water bottles in your bag. Before selecting place for camping, you have to check weather forcast of location.
In the terms of problems, insects might can destroy your leisure activity. There may be no facility of bathroom, shower, which can be obstackle for you to enjoy holidays.
In this summer, I am totally free from my work. I can join your company to devote precious time with you. There are some beautiful places that we can visit as well as can explore distinct areas.
Expecting your corporation in with regards.
B
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: explaining why the friend would enjoy camping, describing disadvantages, and confirming your availability to join. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall development of ideas. While the points are relevant, they are somewhat brief. For instance, the explanation of why the friend would enjoy camping is quite limited. To improve, you should expand on your ideas with more detail or personal anecdotes to ensure the response is fully developed and meets the length requirement. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, but the brevity prevents a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'First of all', 'Furthermore', and 'In the terms of', which provide a basic logical flow. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or unnatural, such as 'In the terms of problems'. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the progression between sentences is smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall cohesion could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use some basic terms like 'pick necessary items' and 'destroy your leisure activity'. There are also some spelling errors, such as 'neccesary', 'forcast', and 'obstackle'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise collocations and ensure accurate spelling. For example, instead of 'pick necessary items', you could use 'pack essential gear'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more descriptive adjectives and topic-specific terminology would significantly improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'planning of camping' (planning a camping trip), 'suggest you few things' (suggest a few things to you), and 'insects might can destroy' (insects might destroy). Additionally, 'Expecting your corporation in with regards' is awkward and grammatically incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the clarity of your message. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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