Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-04

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 5.0)

Dear Sam,

I heared about you are planning to go for a camping holiday trip to Banff from Vancouver by car for the first time in the month of June. I must say that you will be going to enjoy the camping over there and that will be a non-forgettable memory for you as the location is having such a quite and calm place. Even in the route itself is quite interesting and have a lot of beautiful views.

I reccomend you to drive safe first of all and make all the necessary service of your car by a good machanic to preven any hazourd. Camping will be a good idea but keep some cash as sometimes due to network issue you need to pay by cash somewhere.

If you feel comfortable, may I join you for the camping holiday this summer to Banff.

Your Faithfully

Akanksha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response only minimally addresses the prompt, partially covering the required bullet points while failing to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, as the text contains only 147 words. While you mention that your friend would enjoy camping because the location is quiet and calm, and briefly touch upon disadvantages such as network issues requiring cash, these ideas remain very limited and under-developed. Furthermore, the final point regarding whether you would like to go camping together is stated rather abruptly without sufficient elaboration or support. To reach a higher band, all parts of the task must be fully developed with extended explanations, and the letter must clearly exceed the word count minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organization in your letter, with an appropriate opening greeting and a polite closing, but overall there is a lack of clear progression throughout the text. Paragraphing is attempted, but ideas within the paragraphs are grouped loosely rather than linked logically. Cohesive devices are minimal, inadequate, or sometimes inaccurate, such as the sudden shift in topics within the second paragraph from car maintenance to network issues without smooth transitions. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it slightly difficult to follow the flow of ideas. To improve coherence and cohesion, you should use a wider variety of appropriate linking words and ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed theme with clear logical progression from one point to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey your basic message about camping. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'heared' instead of heard, 'machanic' instead of mechanic, and 'preven any hazourd' instead of prevent any hazard, which reveal weaknesses in spelling and word form. You also use repetitive phrasing and simple terms like 'nice' or 'good' rather than exploring a wider lexical range. While these inaccuracies do not completely block communication, they cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, you need to incorporate a broader range of vocabulary, including less common lexical items related to travel and camping, while improving your spelling and precision in word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your letter demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple sentences with frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. There are notable issues with verb tenses and patterns, such as 'about you are planning' instead of that you are planning, and 'the location is having' instead of the location has. Additionally, prepositional use and article placement show frequent mistakes, such as 'Even in the route itself'. These frequent errors can cause difficulty and hesitation for the reader. To move up to a higher band, you should attempt a greater variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining much better control over basic grammar, verb forms, and punctuation.

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

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