Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-22

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 Micheal,

How are you ? How is family back home?,Hope the weather back home is not too harsh on you ?. Am responding to your letter that you wanted to get some information about my course that i did in the university.

As you know, i did Law in my university days as everybody knows law is not an easy course if you can not read and devote your time to the course do not plan doing the course. For a semester in my school we did 8 courses in a semester and some selective.We had nice lecturers and strict lecturers but the nice lecturers i did understand their clasesss than the strict ones.The exams were tough it is not as easy as the ones we did in high schools days.

The name of my university is Adeleke university,we have the best lecturers in the country and the library has most of the textbooks needed for your courses and other activities you will need it for.And there is social activities in the school,so you can balance school actvities and social life together.

The way i will tell you to apply,is to go to the unviersity website,go to there you will their student service phone number and you can call them and ask for further information and the type of document you are to submit online or bring to the school.

I hope i was helpful with this information i rendered to you.

Yours Sincerely

Banjo Tobi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the course, recommending the university, and providing application advice. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the course was Law, your description focuses more on the difficulty of the subject rather than the content or structure of the degree itself. Similarly, the advice on how to apply is quite generic. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details, such as mentioning particular modules or specific documents required for the application process, which would demonstrate a more thorough engagement with the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. For example, you frequently start sentences with 'The' or 'And', and the transition between ideas within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt. The logical flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition'). Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence '...the nice lecturers i did understand their clasesss than the strict ones', where the comparison is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. You rely on basic descriptors like 'nice', 'tough', and 'easy'. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'clasesss', 'actvities', and 'unviersity', which are distracting. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety in word choice and the presence of spelling mistakes limit your score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic or formal vocabulary related to university studies, such as 'curriculum', 'academic staff', or 'admissions procedure'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include incorrect verb tense usage ('am responding' instead of 'I am writing'), missing articles ('in university days'), and punctuation errors, such as unnecessary commas and spaces before question marks. The sentence structure is often repetitive, and some sentences are run-on or lack proper subordination. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures, which is necessary for a higher band score.

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

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