Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-23
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 Purushottam,I heard that you are also thinking about applying for the same course that i have selected at university. Initially, i have planned to study psychology at st lawrence university which is very good for this course.Psychology is all about studying about human mind, thoughts,emotions, and behaviour. I have so much interest in this course so have fully prepared myself for this. If you also join this course i will make sure that you won't regret your decision of choosing psyhology.
I have choosen this university because after so much research i find that st lawrence univesity mainly focus on pratical in field. In masters we only needed most practical rather than theoritical because we have been already preapared and learn much in our bachlor degree, so i like much about this university.
I have apply and research in different online platform and after all my research i found st lawrence university which i liked the most and i find what i wanted. So, to apply go the st.lawrence university website you can find on google After that, you can apply and fill all your information asked there.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The student gives details of the course (psychology at St. Lawrence University, explaining it is about studying the human mind, thoughts, and emotions), explains why they recommend the university (focus on practical fieldwork rather than just theory in masters degrees), and gives advice about how to apply (visiting the website via Google and filling in the required information). However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive in places. The tone is appropriately informal and friendly, fitting for a letter to a friend. Overall, the content successfully addresses the prompt while meeting the minimum length requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The letter is organised into three distinct paragraphs, each corresponding roughly to the prompt requirements. However, paragraphing and logical progression could be improved. The transition between sentences is sometimes abrupt, and the lack of proper spacing after punctuation marks (e.g., 'Purushottam,I heard', 'thoughts,emotions') creates a cluttered visual structure. Cohesive devices are used simply (e.g., 'Initially', 'If you also join', 'So'), but referencing and linking across sentences occasionally feel mechanical. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow the writer's message, but cohesion is faulty in places.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'psychology', 'university', 'research', 'practical', and 'theoritical'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('psyhology', 'choosen', 'univesity', 'pratical', 'theoritical', 'preapared', 'bachlor') and word-form inaccuracies ('most practical rather than theoritical', 'have apply and research'). While the meaning is generally clear despite these errors, the lexical control is limited, placing this response firmly in the band 5.5 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses ('If you also join this course i will make sure...') and relative clauses ('...university which is very good for this course'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb tenses and forms ('i have selected', 'i have planned', 'we only needed most practical', 'I have apply and research'), missing capitalisation ('i'), and punctuation issues (comma splices and missing spaces after commas and periods). These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader, though they do not completely impede overall communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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