Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-23

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 Smith,

I hope you are doing great and family member would also fine . Through this epistle i would give some suggestion about traveling in summer.

Due to the hectic schedule , we can not travel to another region for enjoy the camping holidays. Last month , I received you message and i feel very elated that you are making the plan for travelling which would be very refreshing. I know you wanted to do this for many month . So i think summer is perfect time an also free that time .we would enjoy together.

You are planned go Kashmir but that time due to summer holidays masses go to mountain areas for enjoying which lead to increase the traffic congestion on roads. I would definitly go with you so spent time together because we had a long time to see u due to busy schedule.

Yours lovingly ,

Kim Warson

AI examiner evaluation

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 interest in joining. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, you mention that camping is 'refreshing' but do not elaborate on why it would be enjoyable for a first-timer. Similarly, the disadvantages are limited to traffic congestion. To improve, you should provide more specific details or examples to support your points. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend, although the opening is slightly formal.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between discussing the hectic schedule and the camping plan is abrupt. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally misused, such as 'Through this epistle i would give some suggestion'. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'however', 'consequently') would help create a smoother progression of ideas throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey your message, but it lacks variety and precision. You rely on some basic phrasing and occasionally use words in an unnatural way, such as 'epistle' (which is far too formal for a letter to a friend) and 'masses go to mountain areas'. There are also some spelling errors, such as 'definitly' and 'you message'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more natural collocations and ensure that your word choices are appropriate for the informal context of writing to a friend.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit articles (e.g., 'in summer', 'do this for many month') and struggle with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'You are planned go Kashmir', 'we had a long time to see u'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with irregular spacing around commas and periods. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, before attempting more complex grammatical structures.

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

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