Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-11

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)

Dear Manish,

Hello, how're you? I'm writing to respose in your letter about the subjects which I took at the university.

The course which I completed at the Algoma university was Business management. This has total 4 semesters including 4 months break between it and this has 4 to 5 subjects in total which you can selecte according to your preference . The plus point is that This course has 5 assignments in each subject and computer based exam in last of every term.

I recommend this university because the staff members are very experienced and friendly, they always try to help the students who face the challenges in any subject.

I strongly recommend you, if you what to apply for this course visit the registration office at the university on Monday in the morning at 8:00 am and I attached a number of my friend with this letter who can help you for applying the same course.

Anyway, I hope everything going well with you. Write back when you have time and let me know what you think.

Take care

Preet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify Business Management and describe its semesters, subjects, assignments and exams; recommend the university because of its helpful, experienced staff; and offer application advice. The purpose and friendly relationship are clear throughout. However, some details are unclear or not fully explained—for example, “4 semesters including 4 months break between it” does not make the course structure easy to understand, and the advice to visit the registration office at a specific time is not supported with information about documents or application steps. The offer of a friend’s number is relevant, but could be explained more clearly. Develop these points with precise, useful details so each part of the task is covered more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, separate paragraphs about the course and university, application advice, and a friendly closing. This makes the main purpose easy to follow. You also use basic links such as “because,” “and,” and “Anyway” to connect ideas. At times, however, sentences contain several details joined together, so the relationships between them are not always clear. For instance, the course description combines semesters, breaks, subject choices, assignments and exams in one long passage. The transition into the application advice is also abrupt. Use clearer sentence boundaries and more precise linking phrases, and make sure references such as “between it” clearly identify what they refer to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main information, including course-related terms such as “semesters,” “assignments,” “computer based exam,” and “registration office.” The friendly tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy, including “respose,” “selecte,” and “what to apply.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “in last of every term” and “a number of my friend.” These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, but they limit precision and naturalness. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for describing course structure and giving application advice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand your message. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction and verb forms. For example, “This has total 4 semesters including 4 months break between it” needs articles and a clearer grammatical structure, while “if you what to apply” has an incorrect clause form. In “I strongly recommend you, if you what to apply,” the conditional clause is also awkwardly attached to the recommendation. There are some punctuation and capitalization inconsistencies, such as capitalizing “This” mid-sentence. Aim for accurate basic patterns first, then use longer sentences with clear clauses and correct articles, plurals and verb forms.

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