Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-04

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 Divesh,

I hope you are doing well. I got to know from your brother that you are planning to go for a camping holiday for the first time this summer. This sounds so fascinating. Last time, you were telling me that you want to experience camping with strangers' group, so this is a great opportunity for you.

However, make sure you carry bear spray and mosquitos spray as you will find this as a constraint of camping in the forest area. I will also ask from my boss to grant a leave for three days to accompany you for the camping, this will be memorable experience for both of us to go on a camp together. I will tell you by tomorrow if my holidays get approved.

Let me know if you need any help from my side in collating the material for the camping, I will be ecstatic to help you.

Yours lovingly,

Mahima Kansal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You explain why your friend would enjoy camping, mention the disadvantages (bears and mosquitoes), and confirm your interest in joining. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, you mention that camping is 'fascinating' but do not elaborate on why it would be enjoyable for a first-timer. Similarly, the disadvantages are mentioned briefly without much context. To reach a higher band, try to expand on your ideas with more descriptive language or personal anecdotes to make the letter feel more engaging and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized logically, with a clear opening, body, and closing. You use basic cohesive devices like 'However' and 'also' to link your ideas. However, the paragraphing is a bit disjointed; the second paragraph contains several distinct ideas that could be better separated for clarity. Additionally, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed theme to improve the overall flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'fascinating', 'constraint', and 'ecstatic'. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'strangers' group' (should be 'a group of strangers') and 'collating the material' (which sounds a bit formal for a friendly letter; 'gathering gear' would be more natural). While your vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more natural, idiomatic expressions suitable for a letter to a friend would help demonstrate a more flexible range of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I got to know from your brother' (a bit informal/clunky), 'mosquitos spray' (should be 'mosquito spray'), and 'ask from my boss' (should be 'ask my boss'). Additionally, 'this will be memorable experience' is missing an article ('a'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles to improve your accuracy.

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

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