Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-24

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 Ravi,

I am writing this letter to inform you about new activities added in this summer camping holiday. Meteor shower is going to take place and it would be visible across the country in a night, so they arranged campfire and it lifetime experience. Moreover, camping organizations is going to add mountain climbing at Tremblent Mountain due to suitable weather in this summer.

In camping you take good care of yourself from insects and wild animals in forest. Furthermore, in past few days people complaining on organized theft gang so watch after your accessories.

After researching about the activities I also wanted to join camping with you, but unfortunately I am busy in my exams and also have to watch after my father business and documents so I drop that idea.

I am confident that you are going to enjoy your camping and I am waiting to listen your experience on this camping.

Your faithfully,

Dirgh Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points, but the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the meteor shower and mountain climbing, the explanation of why your friend would enjoy these is brief. The disadvantages are mentioned, but the phrasing is slightly unnatural (e.g., 'people complaining on organized theft gang'). The final point regarding your inability to join is clear. To improve, ensure you expand on your points with more descriptive language to better engage the reader, as the current tone is a bit transactional rather than a friendly letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'After researching', which provide a basic framework. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the benefits of camping and the warnings about theft is abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression could be smoother with more varied linking words and better integration of ideas within paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You use some basic terms and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'watch after my father business' (should be 'look after my father's business') and 'organized theft gang'. The use of 'inform you about new activities' is a bit formal for a letter to a friend. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and idiomatic expressions suitable for informal correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'Meteor shower is going to take place' lacks an article, and 'it lifetime experience' is missing a verb. You also have issues with verb tenses and prepositions, such as 'busy in my exams' (should be 'busy with') and 'waiting to listen your experience' (should be 'waiting to hear about'). While you attempt some complex structures, they are often inaccurate. Focusing on basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.

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

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