Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A friend of yours is thinking about applying for the same course that you did at university. He/She has asked for your advice about studying this subject. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• give details of the course you took at the university
• explain why you recommend the university
• give some advice about how to apply

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear .................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Atif,

I hope you are doing well. I am wrtting this letter to you about the subject which I studied at the university. I took Artificial intelligence subject at Qatar univesity. The course outline is very intresting and full of contents which require to lear Artificial intelligence. This subject provides foundation to develop a career in the field of artificial intelligence.

There are several local institutes who are providing this subject but I will recommend you to enroll at Qatar university for this subject. university has more capable and qualifid staff for this subject, cost of the subject is less compared to local institutes, and the most important classes are flexible and can be tsken remotely as wel

You can visit the university website, download the fee challan, after submitting fee, you can submit tje recipt eith challan online.

You faithfully,

Zahid Shah

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three requested points: you identify Artificial Intelligence at Qatar University, give reasons for recommending it, and outline an application process. The recommendation is supported by relevant details, including qualified staff, lower costs and flexible remote classes. However, the course description is quite general: “full of contents” does not explain what students actually study, and the application advice is brief and may not cover the full process. The response is also six words below the required minimum. Develop the course details and clarify the application steps—for example, what documents or deadlines to check—to make the advice more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: it introduces your course, explains why you recommend the university, and then gives application advice. This makes the main purpose easy to follow. Paragraphing also separates the course information from the recommendation and practical advice. However, the second paragraph places several reasons in one long sequence, and the final application instructions are compressed into a single sentence. Some links between ideas are mechanical, such as “and the most important.” Use clearer sentence boundaries and transitions, and give the application advice its own developed paragraph so the progression feels smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “course outline,” “foundation,” “career,” “qualified staff,” and “remotely,” so the reader can understand the main message. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “full of contents,” “require to lear,” and “cost of the subject.” Spelling errors—including “wrtting,” “univesity,” and “intresting”—also make the writing less polished. Choose more natural expressions such as “covers a wide range of topics” and “the tuition fees are lower,” and proofread carefully for spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most of your sentences use straightforward structures, and the basic message is usually understandable. You also attempt to connect several reasons in one sentence. However, grammatical errors occur frequently, particularly with articles, sentence structure and verb patterns. For example, “I took Artificial intelligence subject” needs an article or a different construction, while “which require to lear” does not form a correct clause. The recommendation sentence also needs clearer punctuation and a complete structure. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine ideas using controlled clauses—for example, “I recommend Qatar University because its staff are qualified and its classes are flexible.”

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