Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18

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 Ali,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this while drinking my morning coffee and thinking about you. I was just thinking about our trip to the beach last month. This was a great fun together.

You asked to me about the details of courses and university in our last conversation. If you need to continue your studies you should be take business informatics. This is also helps in your decision when will you doing your own business as well as in your current job also. In this course includes IT Topics and Business topics both. This is very helpful course to get modern knowledge. After completion of this course you are independently gather the information from raw data.

You should take this course from my university. I will glad to help in your admission as well as in your studies. If you need further info please calls to me anytime.

Take Care of your self ! See you soon.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing the course, recommending the university, and providing advice on the application process. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the course includes 'IT Topics and Business topics', it lacks specific detail that would make the advice more helpful to a friend. Similarly, the advice on how to apply is very brief ('I will glad to help in your admission'). To reach a higher band, you should expand on your ideas with more specific examples or personal experiences to provide a more comprehensive and helpful response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and the progression of ideas is generally clear. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'If you need' and 'After completion of this course', which help the reader follow your points. However, the connection between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the opening paragraph about the beach trip is largely irrelevant to the task, which slightly disrupts the focus of the letter. To improve, ensure that every sentence directly supports the purpose of your writing and try to use a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your main points clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific terms like 'business informatics', 'admission', and 'raw data'. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'This was a great fun together' (should be 'a lot of fun') and 'independently gather the information'. The range is somewhat limited, and there are minor errors in word formation that occasionally affect the natural flow of the text. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter. Examples include 'You asked to me about' (incorrect preposition), 'you should be take' (incorrect verb form), 'when will you doing' (incorrect tense), and 'please calls to me' (incorrect verb form). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency, and try to incorporate more complex structures with greater accuracy.

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

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