Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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 ,Robin

i hope you are doing well ,

i am writing this letter to inform you that, i found a new game which not required any skills and anyone with a small practice can learn it in 2 or 3 days.The games is guuli danda , it a traditinal game played almost in whole india and very popular nowadays in canada .

This games played with a wodden stick (called danda) and small stick (gulli) consider as ball in this game . there is no team required 2 person can play . one guy has to hit the small stick with a longer and other player has to catch it and the scoring almost simillar to the cricket .

we can play this game in my backward as it not required a big ground and i also played this game in my childhood and if you free on this weekends , please come and we learn this game togather .

Mantej Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, successfully covering the key bullet points by recommending a traditional sport, explaining how to play and learn it, and suggesting that you both learn it together. The tone is appropriately informal and friendly, fitting the required format of an email. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others; for instance, the explanation of how your friend could learn the sport is somewhat brief and relies on a general description rather than specific learning steps. The response successfully meets all foundational requirements for a solid performance at this level, demonstrating a relevant and generally clear communicative purpose, though extending the ideas with more specific details would push it toward a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The email demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear sequence of ideas, moving naturally from the greeting and introduction of the sport to rules, location, and the final invitation to learn together. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division could be managed more effectively to separate distinct points such as the rules and the invitation. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is sometimes slightly mechanical or imprecise, such as in transitions between sentences. To reach the next level, the text would need smoother paragraph transitions and more sophisticated, flexible cohesive devices that link ideas effortlessly throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the main message about the sport and its rules. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary and specific terms related to the sport, such as 'traditional game', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable errors in spelling, word choice, and word form, such as 'traditinal', 'guuli danda', and 'backward' instead of backyard. There are also issues with collocations and phrasing. These lexical inaccuracies do not completely impede communication, but they cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a limited lexical range typical of this band level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over basic structures. However, there are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage throughout the text, such as missing articles ('the games is guuli danda, it a traditinal game'), incorrect verb forms ('which not required'), and faulty punctuation around clauses. These errors require some effort from the reader to parse meaning. To achieve a higher band, the writer would need to demonstrate a greater variety of error-free complex structures and improved control over basic grammatical agreements, prepositions, and punctuation patterns.

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

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