Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-07

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 Prabh,

I got your letter that you are thinking going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer it would be a great idea to spend some time with friends. I believe you will learn more things such as how to cook a food outside, learn about flora and funa . Apart from that, you will get a chance to meet an individual from different cultures. There are number of disadvantages going on holidays. Firstly, sometimes whenever you visit a place where there is no internet connection even no medical help it would be a lit bit difficult to serve. Moreover, it better to take a more food with you sometimes you will never find a food as well as take a extra power bank with you . I love to go on camping holidays with friends it was times when you get time to spent time with friends to relax a mind and experience something different in life.

your friend

Manu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining the benefits of camping, describing disadvantages, and confirming your interest in joining. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, while you mention 'flora and funa' (fauna) and meeting people, these points are not elaborated upon. Similarly, the disadvantages are mentioned but lack depth. To improve, aim to provide more specific examples or personal anecdotes to flesh out your points. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, but the overall structure feels a bit rushed, which prevents a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is generally easy to follow, but the paragraphing is non-existent, which makes the text appear as a single block. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Apart from that', 'Moreover', and 'Firstly', but these are sometimes used mechanically. The transition between ideas is occasionally abrupt, particularly when moving from the benefits to the disadvantages. To achieve a higher band, ensure you use clear paragraph breaks to separate the different sections of your letter and work on using a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors, such as 'funa' instead of 'fauna' and 'lit bit' instead of 'little bit'. Some word choices are also slightly unnatural, such as 'serve' in the context of surviving in the wilderness. You have a basic range of vocabulary, but you need to focus on accuracy and using more precise terms to describe your experiences. Expanding your vocabulary related to outdoor activities and travel would help you express your ideas with more clarity and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including missing articles ('take a extra power bank'), incorrect verb forms ('thinking going' instead of 'thinking of going'), and run-on sentences. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and the attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors that slightly impede the flow of reading. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of articles. Proofreading your work for these common errors before finishing would significantly improve the overall quality of your writing.

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

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