Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-04

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 john,

I hope you are doing well. I’m just writing in response to your letter that you asked for help about the course Which you planned to do as further study. I was enrolled in a science fiction subject based on the artificial intelligence in the alpha universities located at New York.

I was really impressed with its facilities that they provided to their students while teaching like it has peaceful and respectful environments which I think important for concentration for academic purposes. Additionally, they organised several curriculum programs for pupils entertainment as well as shape their personality. That’s why I personally suggest you to go for it.

I will give you some advice if you will ready for admission. Firstly, do search its website available on the internet for applying there will be background form need to it and after they give you option select a course and year to apply and at last you will need to pay your fee through debit or credit cards both options available.

I hope these suggestions can help you to continue your study. I am eagerly waiting to meet you until stay safe and healthy.

Best wishes,

Bhagwant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: describing the course, recommending the university, and providing application advice. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the description of the course is quite brief, and the advice on how to apply is a bit vague and repetitive. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details about the course content and clearer, step-by-step instructions for the application process. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is well-informed about your intentions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each focusing on a specific bullet point. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally' and 'Firstly' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'there will be background form need to it'. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next will help improve your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'enrolled', 'concentration', and 'curriculum'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'alpha universities' (likely meant 'a university') and 'pupils entertainment' (should be 'students' entertainment'). Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'shape their personality'. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, you need to work on using more precise collocations and avoiding awkward phrasing to reach a higher band. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'Which you planned to do' is a sentence fragment, and 'if you will ready' should be 'if you are ready'. There are also issues with article usage and preposition placement, such as 'in the alpha universities located at New York'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency of the text. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage will help you produce more accurate sentences.

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

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