Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-12

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 Zack,

I hope you are doing well. I am glad that you are planning to apply for the course; I did at university.

Firstly, I would like to help you by providing the course details, as this is the first thing to consider. I did a Diploma in Business Accounting; the duration of it is usually 2 years, which includes subjects like cost accounting, income tax, as well as courses like QuickBooks and Sage 50. The best part of the course is that it provides an internship in the last semester.

I recommend you go to the university, as there are experienced professors, good reputation, and a friendly atmoshphere.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student has covered some parts of the task, such as giving details of the course (Diploma in Business Accounting with subjects like cost accounting) and explaining why the university is recommended (experienced professors, good reputation). However, the third bullet point regarding how to apply has been completely omitted from the response. Furthermore, the length check confirms that the response contains only 110 words, falling significantly short of the 150-word minimum requirement for General Training Task 1. Because of the missing bullet point and the severe under-length penalty, Task Achievement is constrained to a lower band level. To achieve a higher band, all prompts in the instructions must be fully addressed and the word count threshold must be met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter maintains a clear overall arrangement and appropriate friendly tone starting with 'Dear Zack,'. Basic cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly' and 'as this is the first thing to consider'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, with the final recommendation compressed into a single short sentence, and the omission of the application bullet point affects the overall progression of the letter. Referencing is generally clear, and the ideas flow logically enough for the reader to follow the main points, but the lack of development and brevity restrict the organisational flexibility required for higher band levels.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms related to education and business studies such as 'Diploma in Business Accounting', 'cost accounting', 'income tax', and 'internship'. There is also an attempt at less common phrasing like 'good reputation' and 'friendly atmosphere'. However, there is a spelling error ('atmoshphere') and some punctuation issues, such as an unnecessary semicolon in 'the course; I did at university'. The lexical range remains somewhat limited and repetitive, which is appropriate for a band 6 level where vocabulary is adequate for communication despite occasional errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am glad that you are planning to apply for the course; I did at university' and 'The best part of the course is that it provides an internship in the last semester.' There are some punctuation errors, specifically the misuse of a semicolon where a comma or relative pronoun would be more appropriate. However, grammatical accuracy is generally fair, and the errors do not impede communication. The sentence structures are moderately varied, placing this response firmly in the band 6 category for grammar.

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

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