Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11

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)

I am delighted

Dear Joy,

I am delighted to write to you. Daddy told me about your applying for the same course I study in school. I hope you remember that I study Banking and Finance. That course is highly calculation based. You must be good in mathematics. However there are some courses that you will need to drop has you progress in your discipline subject like GST 101, and GST 102. You will need to write taxation, Financial management, Research methodology and other related subject on finance. I hope you remember that my institution is one of the best University in the Country. The great OAU. Obafemi Awolowo University.

I would like to advise you to visit the school website to register when you are ready.

The website is rich in all the necessary information.don't visit

the cafe. you can make payment

with your card on the website.

hope to hear from you soon

Best regards,

Joy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: it describes the Banking and Finance course, explains why the university is recommended, and provides application advice. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. The explanation of the course is a list of subjects rather than a descriptive overview, and the advice on how to apply is quite brief. The tone is inconsistent, shifting from a formal tone to a more casual one, and the opening is confusing due to the inclusion of 'I am delighted' twice. To improve, ensure that the ideas are expanded with more detail and that the tone remains consistently friendly and appropriate for a letter to a friend.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is often disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas smoothly; for example, the transition between discussing the course subjects and the university recommendation is abrupt. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, and the paragraphing is somewhat erratic, with some sentences feeling isolated. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') to connect your thoughts and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'highly calculation based' and 'one of the best University'. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'discipline subject' instead of 'core subjects' and 'visit the cafe' (which is likely a misunderstanding of 'cyber cafe'). While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or idiomatic language that would be expected in a personal letter to a friend.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Daddy told me about your applying' should be 'your application' or 'you applying'), punctuation errors (e.g., 'don't visit the cafe. you can'), and missing articles. Some sentences are fragmented or lack proper structure, such as 'That course is highly calculation based.' While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors will help improve your score.

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

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