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)

Hello Raman

I hope you are doing great. I am writing this letter for you because I knew you want same course that I did. I will tell you correct information regarding it.

I did MBA in university Canada west . It was great experience in this university. This course really benifical for future. You can get a good job by doing this course in this university.

I recommend it because it offers a lot like discount and also provide good tutors. University provide many amenities to students like youth festival and volunteers programme and so on.

You can apply online it is very easy steps. But first you have to upload your all documents and basic information on the university website . Then you can inroll in university. If you want to take any information regarding anything feel free to call me . Moreover, you can also connect with university manager.

Yours friend

Aman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the course details, the recommendation of the university, and the application process. However, the development of these points is quite limited. For instance, the description of the course is vague, simply stating it was an 'MBA', and the advice on the application process lacks specific detail, relying on general statements like 'upload your all documents'. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or personal insights to flesh out your ideas, as the current response feels somewhat superficial and brief in its explanation of why the university is recommended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and limited. Phrases like 'Moreover' and 'Then' are used, but the transitions between sentences often feel abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'I am writing this letter for you because I knew you want same course that I did', which lacks grammatical flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that ideas flow more naturally from one sentence to the next would significantly improve the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You rely on simple adjectives like 'great' and 'good' multiple times. There are also some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'inroll' (enroll) and 'benifical' (beneficial). While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use less common or more precise lexical items that would demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic or professional terms would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('in university Canada west'), word order, and verb forms ('University provide', 'you want same course'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some spacing issues around commas and periods. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be distracting. To improve, you should focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and proofreading for basic spelling and punctuation errors.

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

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