Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-02
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 friend
lm pleased to hear you that you want to learn some new skills thats a great idea to leran some skills in your leisure time if you are asking for my advice i would suggest you to learn swimming skills it is very beneficial and life saving for us we can learn this skill from our nearby sports club where they teachs how to survive in a deep water and they also give proper training and regular classes with affordable fee structure.So i would suggest you to join with me because i were also looking for some skill and i my opinion its the best chance nature gives us to learn something new,and this learning activity unlock our potential i hope you find my mail helpful and consider it as a opportunity.Nice to talk to you be greatful best of luck take care
your best friend
Dilawer Mehdi.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address all three points: you recommend swimming, suggest a local sports club with instruction and regular classes, and invite your friend to learn with you. The advice is relevant and the friendly purpose is clear. The explanation of how to learn is less fully developed, however: “they teachs how to survive in a deep water” gives only a general description, without practical details such as beginner lessons, equipment, or how to enrol. The invitation is present in “join with me,” but could be made more direct and specific by proposing a day or class to attend together. Develop these points with a little more detail and use a complete, natural email opening and closing.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response follows a broadly sensible order: it acknowledges your friend’s interest, recommends swimming, explains where to learn, and ends with an invitation. However, nearly all the content is placed in one long paragraph, so the progression is difficult to follow. Several ideas are joined by repeated “and” or commas, as in “it is very beneficial and life saving for us we can learn this skill…” The closing also moves abruptly from advice to “Nice to talk to you” and “best of luck.” Use separate paragraphs for the recommendation and learning plan, then the invitation and sign-off. Clear sentence boundaries and a few purposeful links such as “You could also…” would make the organisation easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “swimming,” “sports club,” “proper training,” and “regular classes,” and the reader can understand your main recommendation. There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “unlock our potential,” though this sounds less natural in this context. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “learn swimming skills,” “join with me,” and “consider it as a opportunity.” Spelling errors such as “leran” and “grateful” (written as “greatful”) also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural phrases suited to a friendly email, such as “take swimming lessons,” “join me,” and “consider it an opportunity.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response communicates its main ideas, but sentence structures are mostly long and joined together, with limited control of sentence boundaries. For example, “I would suggest you to learn swimming skills it is very beneficial…” needs a full stop or a suitable conjunction between the recommendation and its reason. There are some errors in verb forms and agreement, including “they teachs” and “I were also looking,” as well as missing or incorrect articles in “in a deep water” and “as a opportunity.” Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences alongside a few controlled complex sentences, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation before finishing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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