Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21
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 5.0)
Dear john you asked me about learning a new sport.So i thought about one sport which would be easy for you to learn and i know that sport so i can help you in learning. i would recommed you about football, as football is the best game and it would be suitable for you and by playing it we can be fit and also our health gets better. We will have some practice sessions every eveing so that after work we can practice and le arn football.I will be eager to learn this sport with you as it is my favourite sport of all time. Every evening as we gets free we will have a practise session at some cdrtain time and together it will br fun. I would recommed you to learn football as it a very well known and the most simple game which also makes us fit and can have some better time together
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response successfully covers all three bullet points required in the general training task. You clearly recommend football to your friend, explain how they can learn by participating in evening practice sessions together after work, and propose that you both learn the sport side by side. The tone is appropriately friendly and informal for an email to an acquaintance. However, the development of ideas is slightly repetitive, as the benefits of fitness and the evening practice sessions are mentioned multiple times without expanding significantly into further detail. This places the response comfortably at Band 6, as all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, though some parts are slightly under-developed and lack extended elaboration.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The email has a recognizable overall structure, beginning with an informal greeting and concluding with the final recommendation. However, the organization is hindered by a lack of paragraphing, as the entire response is written as a single dense block of text. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'and' to join clauses. Furthermore, punctuation and capitalization errors—such as starting sentences with lowercase letters like 'So i thought' and 'i would recommed'—disrupt the flow and make the transitions between ideas mechanical rather than smooth. These issues reflect Band 5 Coherence and Cohesion descriptors, where there is some organization and basic cohesive devices are present, but paragraphing is missing and referencing is sometimes faulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to successfully convey your message about learning football. You use common everyday terms such as 'favourite sport', 'practice sessions', and 'fit'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'recommed', 'eveing', 'le arn', 'gets free', 'practise', 'cdrtain', and 'br', which indicate a limited control over spelling mechanics. The range of vocabulary is somewhat restricted and repetitive, relying heavily on basic words rather than exploring less common lexical items with precision. Because the errors in spelling and word choice do not completely impede communication, this performance aligns with Band 5, which features a limited but minimally adequate range with noticeable errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You demonstrate an ability to construct some complex sentences, such as 'as football is the best game and it would be suitable for you and by playing it we can be fit'. However, these complex structures often lack proper punctuation and run together, leading to grammatical inaccuracies. There are frequent punctuation errors, including missing full stops, incorrect capitalization of pronouns like 'i', and run-on sentences. Simple structures are mixed with these flawed complex attempts, and errors in verb agreement and tense consistency also occur, as seen in 'as we gets free'. While the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader despite these flaws, the high frequency of grammatical and punctuation errors prevents the text from achieving a Band 6, placing it firmly at Band 5 due to frequent errors that cause some difficulty for the reader.
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.