Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-14

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 Raman,

i am writing this letter in the reply of your mail which one i received last week first of all congrattulations to pass the grade 12 with very good grades

Now i give the details of my course which i took at university the course name is welcome to the world of politics course number 4111

there are reasons in the favour of why i recommend this university additionaly the repotation of this university is very good if i talk about the ranks of cape breton university comes in 10th universities in all over canada.

In last i would like to give advise how you can apply this course first of all you must get an offer letter of this university after get an offer letter you will have to register your courses you are my one of close friend i suggest to you register a course professor name Jan Hancock as well as his course outline very differ from others.

Best wishes for the course

Your's Truly

Tejvir Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three requested points: you name the course and give its number, offer a reason for recommending the university, and provide application advice. However, the details are quite limited. “Welcome to the world of politics” identifies the subject, but you do not explain what students study or what the course involves. The university’s reputation and ranking are relevant reasons, while the advice about obtaining an offer and registering is useful but could be clearer and more complete. The recommendation of a particular professor adds a personal touch, though the reason for choosing him is not fully explained. Develop each point with specific details and make your advice easier to follow.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable sequence: an opening, course information, a recommendation, application advice, and a closing. Paragraph breaks help separate the main topics, and phrases such as “first of all” and “In last” signal progression. However, some links feel mechanical, and the long opening sentence runs several ideas together. The transition into the university recommendation is also awkward, making the relationship between the university’s reputation and your recommendation less clear. Use one main idea per paragraph, add punctuation to separate sentences, and choose natural transitions such as “I recommend it because…” and “To apply, you should…”. This would make the overall progression smoother and references clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the letter, including “course,” “university,” “offer letter,” “register,” and “course outline,” so the main message can be understood. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce clarity or naturalness. Examples include “reputation” misspelled as “repotation,” “congratulations” as “congrattulations,” and “advice” written as “advise.” Phrases such as “in the reply of your mail” and “in the favour of why” are also unnatural. Aim to learn common letter-writing collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise language would help you explain the course and your reasons for recommending the university.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly uses simple sentence patterns, with some attempts to connect clauses using “after” and “as well as.” These attempts show an effort to express more detailed advice, but the structures are often difficult to follow. For example, “after get an offer letter you will have to register your courses” needs a correctly formed clause, and “I suggest to you register a course” has an inaccurate verb pattern. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent: “i” should be “I,” and several sentences need full stops. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then build longer sentences with correct verb forms and clause structure. This will make your meaning clearer and improve control.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.