Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-17

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 Maliha,

I hope you are doing well. I am very happy after hearing that you want to take admission in my university. AS i took admission in Master of manangment and university name is university of Niagara Falls which is near to united state's border.

There are certain reasons why this university is famous. AS it gives scholarship to students who have their best grades in their previous degree's. Moreover, it has flipped classroom method, which is excellent as you can read the content which you will learn particuler subject or lecture.

Getting udmission

Registration process of this university is very simple. You cun upply ut admission.cu und register yourself ufter puying fees in instullments. I um very excited to see you in UNFC's cumpus.

Best regards,

Akime vhorei.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: course details, reasons for recommendation, and application advice. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The explanation of the course is quite brief, and the advice on how to apply lacks sufficient detail to be truly helpful. Because the response is under-length, it fails to fully develop the required points, resulting in a lower score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'There are certain reasons'. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. The transition between the course description and the application advice is abrupt. While the structure is clear enough to follow, the limited length and mechanical use of linking words prevent a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for a simple letter but lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. There are several spelling errors, such as 'manangment', 'particuler', 'udmission', 'cun', 'upply', 'ut', 'cu', 'ufter', 'puying', 'instullments', 'cumpus', and 'vhorei'. These errors are frequent and occasionally impede readability. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles with accurate word choice, such as 'take admission' instead of 'enroll'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('the united state's border'), pluralization ('degree's'), and sentence structure. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the existing sentences are often simple or contain errors in verb tense and preposition usage. The frequent errors in basic grammar, combined with the spelling issues, make the text difficult to read at times.

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

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