Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-01

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 Ghazal,

I am writing this to you as you have told me in your previous letter that you want go for camping holiday this summer. As your first experience with camping I would like to share my thoughts about camping. I have been doing camping for two years with my family. We always go to Islamabad and book a flat there so that we can stay. Afterwards, my cousins and I go on camping to murree. We enjoy bonfire nights, stay up all night while watching stars, clear sky and most cheerful moment of sunrise that give our eyes soothing effect. The only moment that keeps us awake is sunrise.

I would prefer to tell you about some drawbacks of camping that people litter everywhere and a huge problem is that there are no public toilets. Some open toilets have been installed by government but they are not fully functional.

I would like to recommend you to go camping with friends because they will manage the things all together. There are always flaws in public places we cannot fix them entirely. But with family you will remain anxious about their needs while friends will keep you calm. That's all, I will be waiting for your response.

Best Wishes

Areeba

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, though some points are underdeveloped and lack focus. For instance, the letter touches on why your friend might enjoy camping by mentioning 'bonfire nights' and the 'cheerful moment of sunrise,' but the explanation is somewhat hindered by confusing details, such as stating 'We always go to Islamabad and book a flat there,' which contradicts the core concept of camping. The disadvantages are covered by mentioning litter and a lack of public toilets, but this section remains limited. Regarding whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer, the response drifts slightly into recommending going with friends over family rather than clearly and directly answering if you personally will join them this summer. To improve, ensure all bullet points are fully expanded with clear, relevant details and maintain a direct focus on the specific questions asked.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable beginning, middle, and end, making the writer's general intentions clear. However, the progression between ideas is sometimes interrupted by mechanical or confusing transitions. For example, moving abruptly from booking a flat in Islamabad to camping in Murree creates a disjointed flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas could be managed more logically; the discussion about disadvantages is squeezed into a brief section, and the final paragraph mixes advice with the response about joining this summer. Cohesive devices are occasionally repetitive or inaccurate, such as the use of 'Afterwards' and 'The only moment that keeps us awake is sunrise,' which repeats a point just made. To achieve a higher band, focus on ensuring a smoother logical progression between sentences and more accurate use of referencing and transition words.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating everyday ideas and fulfilling the basic requirements of the letter. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'soothing effect,' 'cheerfully moment,' and 'litter everywhere,' but these attempts are accompanied by occasional inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation, such as 'want go for camping' instead of 'want to go on a camping holiday' and 'cheerful moment' instead of 'cheering moment' or 'joyful experience.' Spelling and word-form errors are present but generally do not impede overall communication. To reach the next band, the writer should incorporate a wider, more precise range of lexical items and idiomatic expressions while minimizing word-choice errors and ensuring correct derivations and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, though attempts at complexity occasionally result in structural errors. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that require the reader to occasionally pause, such as missing articles ('want go for camping holiday'), incorrect verb forms ('doing camping' instead of 'going camping'), and run-on sentences with awkward phrasing ('stay up all night while watching stars, clear sky and most cheerful moment of sunrise that give our eyes soothing effect'). Preposition use within patterns also shows occasional lapses, such as 'go on camping to murree.' While these errors rarely completely impede understanding, they persist throughout the text. To improve, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over complex sentence structures, ensure subject-verb agreement, and polish punctuation and article usage.

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

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