Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-29
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 sara,
hope you are doing great. I have recived your letter, I am very excited to know that you are planning for a camping trip. I want to suggest the best camping place in the northern area of Pakistan, I have visited Skardu valley many times before and it has always been an unforgetable experience.
Few things I want you to keep in mind that you should leave all the distractions and enjoy the peace of nature there, however camping is a thrilling experience as well as it has its own challenges too more over the weather is very unpredictable during camping you should have raincoats and warm clothes.
During travel you can face sickness so don't forget to keep basic medications with you.
I would love to join you as its your first trip, i will be there with you and we will we create some memories .
your friend
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explain why your friend would enjoy camping, mention potential disadvantages like unpredictable weather and travel sickness, and confirm your interest in joining. However, the development of these points is somewhat thin. For instance, while you mention the weather is unpredictable, you could have elaborated more on the physical discomforts or logistical challenges of camping to fully satisfy the 'describe' requirement. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose is clear throughout. To improve, aim to expand on your ideas with more descriptive detail or personal anecdotes to make the response more engaging and thorough.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, you use 'however' and 'more over' (which should be 'moreover') to link ideas, but the flow between sentences is occasionally abrupt. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, the punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with run-on sentences and missing commas, which affects the overall flow. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring clear paragraph breaks will help improve the logical progression of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for this task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'distractions', 'unpredictable', and 'medications'. However, there are some spelling errors, such as 'recived' and 'unforgetable', and the phrase 'more over' is used incorrectly as two words. The range of vocabulary is somewhat basic, and there is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated collocations. To reach a higher band, focus on correcting spelling and incorporating more varied, precise vocabulary to describe your experiences and feelings.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that detract from the quality of the writing. Issues include capitalization errors (e.g., 'sara'), missing articles, and punctuation mistakes, such as the run-on sentence in the second paragraph: '...challenges too more over the weather is very unpredictable...'. Additionally, there are minor slips like 'we will we create'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Focusing on sentence boundaries and basic proofreading for subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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