Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-10

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 friend,

Aayushi

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to about your course that i did at university.I completed my bechelor in that university and after that I took that course last year in the university. First I have to talk about this course is very cheap and its only 1 year course.

Frist, I recommend the university, because of this university is one of the popular in my city, And second thing is this university's staff and students are very helpful. And as well as if you need any type of help they always helps you in your study and your project.

Moreover, I will give you some advice ,You have to applay online in their website, As well as you can check their website about more information, And Instead of you have any confusion so you can visit the site and ask at reseption desk about your confusion.

I hope my advice will help you. If you have any question about this you can ask me.

Your best wishes

Krupa.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three requested points: you mention the course’s duration and cost, give reasons for recommending the university, and explain how to apply. The advice to use the university website and ask at reception is relevant. However, the course details are unclear: “I completed my bachelor … and after that I took that course last year” does not explain what subject you studied or what the course involved. The recommendation is also supported mainly by general claims that the university is popular and its staff and students are helpful. Add specific details, such as subjects, teaching, facilities, or an example of the support available, and make the application advice more precise. This would make the response more fully developed and clearer for your friend.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for the course, recommendation, and application advice, followed by a closing. This makes the main points easy to locate. You also use linking expressions such as “First,” “Moreover,” and “as well as.” However, some connections feel mechanical or do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. For example, “First” is repeated to introduce different points, and “And second thing” is an awkward transition. The course paragraph also moves from your degree to the course’s cost and duration without clearly explaining how these details relate. Use fewer, more purposeful connectors and organise each paragraph around one clear point, with supporting details following it.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the main message, including relevant terms such as “course,” “university,” “apply online,” and “information.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For instance, “I am writing to about your course” is not a natural expression, and “one of the popular in my city” does not form a complete, accurate phrase. Spelling errors such as “bechelor,” “Frist,” “applay,” and “reseption” are also noticeable. Build a bank of natural phrases for giving advice and describing courses, and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary would help you explain the course and university more convincingly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate using mostly simple sentences and make some attempts to join ideas with clauses, as in “if you need any type of help they always helps you.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors occur often enough to make parts of the letter difficult to read smoothly. Examples include “because of this university is one of the popular,” where the clause structure is faulty, and “they always helps,” where the verb does not agree with its subject. There are also missing or misplaced punctuation marks, such as in “university.I completed.” Practise forming accurate sentences with because, if, and relative clauses, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries before submitting.

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