Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-11

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 Riya,

I am glad to hear that you are planning to go on vacation this summer and in my perspective, it is good opportunity to get a break from hectic life.

Moreover, the outing is quite beneficial to enhance the mental ability as it provides different environment which helps to be more focused as well as active on work. Camping teaches us to survive in worst situation with minimum resources.

Despite of numerous advantages, it has drawbacks too such as unpredictable weather conditions which makes survival difficult. Moreover, not having sufficient camping passionate companions is also a disadvantage.

Due to my on-going placements, I won't be able to join you this time. However, I really want to wish you marvelous trip and maybe I will company you next time.

kind Regards,

Navneet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the benefits of camping, the disadvantages, and your availability. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of your ideas. For instance, the explanation of why your friend would enjoy camping is quite brief and lacks specific examples or personal anecdotes that would make the advice more convincing. To improve, you should expand on your points by providing more detail and context, ensuring you meet the length requirement to fully develop your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear opening and closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'Despite of', though the latter is grammatically incorrect. Paragraphing is present, but the paragraphs are quite short due to the limited word count. To reach a higher band, ensure that your linking words are used accurately and try to create a smoother flow between sentences by varying your transition phrases rather than relying on simple additions like 'Moreover'.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'hectic', 'beneficial', and 'unpredictable'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'camping passionate companions' (should be 'companions who are passionate about camping') and 'I will company you' (should be 'I will accompany you'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more natural collocations and idiomatic expressions would help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'it is good opportunity' (missing article 'a'), 'Despite of' (incorrect preposition; it should be 'Despite' or 'In spite of'), and 'maybe I will company you' (incorrect verb form). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall accuracy of your writing.

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

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