Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 john,

i hope you doing well. i just want to talk about a sport which is swimming. actually i am keeen interested with this.

i think this sport will be suitable because they are provied 10 classes in $300 ,so its not that much costly. one more interested thing is that its not very far from our town so it would be easy for you.

you will learn through classes which they provided in evening time so you are also free after five pm. they have well trained guiders.

i want to let you know actually i am taking classes too. we will both learn this sport also we can tell each other and encourge too. we will follow all the safety procedure you don,t need to worry. i think this is a best opportunity to learn something new.

i will wait to hear from you.

your faithfully,

harry

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you recommend swimming, explain that lessons are available in the evening, and invite John to learn with you. The practical details about the cost, location and trained instructors make the advice relevant, and the friendly purpose is clear. This meets the task well, with some elements more fully supported than others. For example, you say there are “10 classes” but do not explain what the lessons involve or how John could enrol; the suggestion that you learn together could also be developed with a specific plan. To strengthen the response further, add one or two details about the class format and propose when you could attend together.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The ideas follow a generally sensible order: you introduce swimming, give reasons it suits John, explain the classes, and then suggest learning together. This makes the email understandable overall. However, the response is presented as one continuous block, so the shifts between recommendation, practical information and your invitation are not clearly signposted. Some links are also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “so” and “actually,” and “one more interested thing” does not connect the point smoothly. Use short paragraphs for the main stages of the email and vary linking expressions. Clearer references—for example, specifying what “they” refers to—would also make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main advice, including “swimming,” “classes,” “evening time,” “trained” and “safety procedure.” The message is generally understandable, but the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or spellings make the language sound unnatural. Examples include “keen interested with this,” “not that much costly,” “guiders” and “encourge.” These choices sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Aim to learn common collocations for giving advice and describing lessons, and check spelling carefully. More precise phrases such as “qualified instructors” and “reasonably priced” would make the recommendation clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the main ideas using mostly simple sentences, with some attempts to join clauses, such as “we will both learn this sport also we can tell each other.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors in verb forms, articles, agreement and punctuation occur throughout. For instance, “i hope you doing well” needs an auxiliary, while “they are provied 10 classes” has an incorrect verb form and “this is a best opportunity” uses the article incorrectly. The comma splice in “we will both learn this sport also we can…” also makes the relationship between ideas unclear. Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then use a few controlled complex sentences with appropriate conjunctions.

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

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