Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear friend,

I hope you are doing well. I am glad to hear that you are intrested in learning a new sport. I would strongly recommend cricket. It is very good game for fitness. Nowadays cricket is very popular game. It is a dream of every boy. tis game give an opportunity to be settle in life. It is a way of to demonstrate our skills.

I think it would be even better if we discussed the game together.We could join the same class and practice regularly.It would be more enjoyable and we could motivate to improve each other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response responds to the task only minimally, which is compounded by the fact that the writing requirement of at least 150 words has not been met, with the current length standing at only 99 words. While the student does recommend a sport (cricket) and briefly suggests learning it together, the bullet points are addressed in a very limited way. Ideas such as how your friend could learn this sport are heavily underdeveloped, mentioning only that you could 'join the same class' without providing sufficient details or expansion. To move up, the writer must ensure the length requirement is fully satisfied and that every bullet point from the prompt is extended with clear, well-supported explanations and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation evident in the letter, as the student opens with a standard greeting and separates the introduction of the sport from the suggestion of learning together into distinct sections. However, overall progression is limited due to the brevity of the text. Cohesive devices are minimal, relying mostly on basic sentence starters and simple conjunctions without a wider range of logical connectors. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the abrupt shift in ideas without smooth transitions. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices to connect sentences and paragraphs smoothly, ensuring a clearer logical flow throughout the message.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some straightforward words related to hobbies and activities, but there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'intrested' instead of 'interested' and awkward phrasing like 'tis game give an opportunity to be settle in life'. Less common vocabulary items are attempted with inaccuracy rather than precision, though communication is generally maintained despite these slips. To reach the next level, the writer should incorporate a wider and more precise range of lexical items, use appropriate collocations naturally, and eliminate spelling errors by carefully proofreading the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with occasional basic attempts at complex forms. Frequent errors are present in grammar, such as missing articles ('It is very good game'), incorrect prepositional patterns ('a way of to demonstrate'), and awkward verb forms ('we could motivate to improve each other'). While these errors do not completely obscure the intended meaning, they cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and demonstrate a lack of firm control over basic grammatical structures. To progress, the student must practice constructing a wider variety of complex sentences while improving accuracy with articles, prepositions, and verb complements.

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

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