Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-28

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 sarah,

I hope you are doing so well its been soo long I didnt heard a word from you.

I received your letter asking for an advice for course selection. I am.gald that you want to persue your education again.

well, I took my masters degree in business administration MBA( b&f). It has a great demand in all organizations. Finanace is very important department in any of the organization For example budgeting , portfolio managment, reviewing financials reports are all comes under this.

The reason of selecting this course for me is also this that it offers alot of opportuinity and development paths.

so its good to know that you are also interested in this subject.Although, always dealing with numbers makes you exhausted but its very much interesting.

I suggests you to choose HCBF department from pu for this degree because these subjects are their speciality and had a very competent and experienced faculty memebers. You will really enjoy learning from their vast knowledged and teaching techniques.

As you know, its a very high competition among students and seats are limited. I hereby, suggests you to apply on extra crriculum seats as i remember you were excellent speaker of our colleges debating society. so must Apply on this quota .

I wish you all the best for your future.

Any other information you need let me know.

your sincerely.

xyz

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three requested points: you identify your MBA in business administration, explain the university’s specialist department and experienced faculty, and advise Sarah to apply through the extracurricular quota, linking this to her debating experience. These details make the letter relevant and personal. However, some points are only briefly explained: the course description focuses mainly on finance topics, and the reasons for recommending the university could be clearer and more specific. The application advice would also be more useful if you explained what documents or steps she should prepare, rather than relying mainly on the quota suggestion. A clearer, fuller explanation of each point would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The ideas follow a generally understandable order: you respond to Sarah, describe your course, recommend the university, and then give application advice. This gives the letter a basic overall structure, and phrases such as “The reason” and “As you know” help signal connections. However, the response is presented largely as one continuous block, so the shifts between topics are not always easy to follow. Some linking is also repetitive or awkward, particularly the repeated use of “so” and “also this that.” Use separate paragraphs for the course, recommendation, and application advice, and choose clearer transitions. This would create a more consistent progression and make the relationships between ideas easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the subject, including “budgeting,” “portfolio management,” “financial reports,” and “experienced faculty members.” These terms help communicate what the course involves and why the department may be suitable. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce clarity, such as “Finanace,” “opportuinity,” “vast knowledged,” and “extra crriculum seats.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “a great demand in all organizations” and “a very high competition.” Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for describing courses, opportunities, and competition. More precise, natural phrasing would make your advice easier to read and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and subordinate clauses, for example, “Although, always dealing with numbers makes you exhausted but its very much interesting.” However, many sentences contain frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction, which sometimes make the reader pause. Examples include “I didnt heard,” “I suggests you,” and “these subjects are their speciality and had.” The opening sentence also joins ideas without clear punctuation, while “I am.gald” contains a distracting punctuation error. Practise forming accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with clauses using one clear connector. Pay particular attention to past-tense forms, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries.

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

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