Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-09
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
Your English-speaking friend who lives in your town has asked for your advice about learning a new sport. Write an email to your friend. In your email:
- recommend a new sport that would be suitable for your friend to learn
- explain how your friend could learn this sport
- suggest that you both learn this sport together
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ....................................,
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear Sachini,
How about you? I think you are doing well. I unable to visit you recently because of my busy work schedule. However I got your letter and I thought about that things you have mentioned. You told me that you prefer to learn a new sport. I got some information about sports from my school athletic teacher. He gave me more informations about sports and He told me that table tennis is most popular game on nowadays. Table tennis is a very interesting game and I think it is suitable for you.
That is a energetic sport. You can maintain your body fitness and health from playing. That game need a good focus. You can buildup both your physical and mental health.
From hearing this I also prefer to learn this sport. I think it will be better learning that together. The couch told me that he can teach us on weekends. If you prefer for that please give me your opinion as soon as possible. I am waiting for your letter.
Thanking you.
Yours loving,
Nish.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address all three requirements: you recommend table tennis, explain that a coach can teach it on weekends, and invite Sachini to learn it with you. The recommendation is relevant and supported with reasons, such as improving fitness and requiring focus. However, the learning plan is only briefly explained, and the benefits are stated rather generally; for example, “You can buildup both your physical and mental health” could be made more specific. The opening also spends several sentences on your work schedule and the previous letter, which is less important than developing the advice. Add practical details, such as where lessons take place or what equipment is needed, to make the response more fully developed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The email has a clear overall sequence: you introduce the topic, recommend a sport and its benefits, then suggest learning together and ask for a reply. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and linking words such as “However” and “From hearing this” show attempts to connect ideas. Some connections are awkward or unclear, though: “I thought about that things you have mentioned” does not clearly lead into the recommendation, and “From hearing this” is an imprecise transition. The opening also includes several details before reaching the main advice. A more direct progression, with each paragraph focused on one task point and clearer references to the friend’s request, would make the email easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use enough vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “suitable,” “focus,” “physical,” and “mental,” and the reader can understand your recommendation. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, but some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “school athletic teacher,” “most popular game on nowadays,” and “maintain your body fitness.” “Informations” is also an incorrect plural form, while “couch” appears to be a misspelling of “coach.” These errors make the language less precise, although the main message remains clear. Build accuracy by learning common sport-related combinations and checking spelling and countable or uncountable nouns.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Your response includes mostly straightforward sentences and some attempts to join ideas, for example, “The coach told me that he can teach us on weekends.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but there are several errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “I unable to visit you” (missing “was/am”), “That game need” (subject–verb agreement), and “table tennis is most popular game” (missing an article). “I think it will be better learning that together” also has an incorrect structure. Use a wider mix of accurate sentence patterns, and proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb, correct tense, and necessary articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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