Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-13
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 Karlien
I write this letter to inform you on the course that i took last year at unisa university. it was a agricultural course, you know me well and know that agriculture is my passion.
the course is over a period of 6 months and is based on plant growth and livestock feed, plat growth is in depth and covers water usage fertiliser aplication and sun light. livestock feed was not that much covered as i would have whanted it to be as for the needed minerals and supplements as i would prefer. There were some challenges that you sould know of like how to apply and wher to begin.my best advice is to contact them by email at [redacted email] to apply with all your details.
If you have any questions about the needed books or any thing els please dont hesitate to give me a call. Hope to see you soon mate, enjoy your weekend and send love to your brother
greetings Paul
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The letter covers the three requested areas: it identifies an agricultural course, gives some course content and duration, recommends the university indirectly through your personal experience, and offers an email contact for applying. These details make the response relevant and the friendly tone suits a letter to a friend. However, the recommendation is not clearly explained: saying that agriculture is your passion describes your interest, rather than why Unisa is a good choice. Application advice is also limited to emailing an address, without explaining what information or documents to include or how to find the official process. Develop these points with specific reasons and practical guidance, and make the recommendation explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The information is grouped into broad sections: course details and challenges, application advice, then a friendly closing. This gives the letter some organisation, and phrases such as “as for” and “If you have any questions” help connect ideas. However, the progression within the main paragraph is difficult to follow because course content, your dissatisfaction with livestock-feed coverage, challenges, and application instructions are crowded together. Some links are unclear, particularly “as for the needed minerals and supplements as I would prefer.” Use separate paragraphs for course details, your reasons for recommending the university, and application advice. Clearer transitions would help the reader see how each point relates to the task.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the subject, including “plant growth,” “livestock feed,” “water usage,” and “minerals and supplements.” The informal expressions “mate” and “give me a call” also suit the relationship with your friend. However, the range is limited, and several spelling errors or imprecise phrases make the writing less clear, such as “plat growth,” “aplication,” “whanted,” and “any thing els.” Some combinations are awkward, including “the course is over a period of 6 months” and “how to apply and wher to begin.” Check spelling carefully and choose more precise expressions for course structure and application steps.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The letter communicates its main points, but it relies mostly on simple sentence patterns, with limited control when ideas are joined into longer sentences. Several errors recur in sentence boundaries, capitalisation, articles, and verb forms. For example, “I write this letter to inform you on the course” would be more naturally formed as “I’m writing to tell you about the course,” while “it was a agricultural course” has an article error. The long sentence beginning “livestock feed was not that much covered” becomes difficult to follow because clauses are joined without clear punctuation. Practise accurate sentence boundaries and vary simple sentences with controlled subordinate clauses; this will make the advice easier to understand.
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