Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-04

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 Walter White.

I want to share something to you about the new sport, it's called Pickle Ball it's like a combination of Tennis Ball, Badminton and ping pong.

Do you want to learn the new sport that i said to you? Because this is good for our health too and we can make this a hobby or a weekly activity. Don't worry we can learn this together i also like the sports and i want to put that in my daily activity or a free tike. yes i sense to this sport it's gonno help me to get healthy if i start working out with this kind of sport.

this time i'm gonna real with you i gonna say this because you're my real friend, i recommend this sport to you because you always at your home and consuming no good foods.

so see you in friday at the gym to learn the new sport.

Your friend Nicolas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You recommend a specific sport, explain that it can support health and become a hobby, and invite your friend to learn it with you. These points address the main purpose of the email. However, the explanation of how Walter could learn pickleball is not developed: “see you in Friday at the gym to learn” gives a meeting suggestion, but not practical details such as joining a beginner class, practising basic serves, or borrowing equipment. The reason for recommending it—“you always at your home and consuming no good foods”—is relevant but blunt and not clearly connected to why this sport suits him. Develop the learning plan and explain the sport’s suitability more clearly to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The email has a recognisable sequence: you introduce pickleball, explain why it might be enjoyable, give a personal reason for recommending it, and finish with a proposed meeting. Paragraph breaks help separate these points. However, progression is not always clear, and several ideas are crowded into long sentences, particularly the paragraph beginning “Don't worry we can learn this together.” The question “Do you want to learn…” and the following explanation also repeat the invitation rather than advancing the plan. Some links, such as “this time” and “so,” do not clearly show how the ideas relate. Use shorter, more focused paragraphs and clearer transitions to guide Walter from the recommendation to practical next steps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the basic idea, including “sport,” “hobby,” “weekly activity,” and “health.” Naming pickleball and comparing it with other games also helps introduce the activity. However, the range is limited and several word choices or phrases are inaccurate or unclear, such as “share something to you,” “free tike,” and “i sense to this sport.” “Consuming no good foods” is also an awkward way to describe your friend’s habits and may sound unnecessarily critical. Choose more natural expressions, such as “tell you about,” “in my free time,” and “you don’t eat very healthily.” Check spelling and use the sport’s name consistently to make the message easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sentences, for example, “Because this is good for our health too and we can make this a hobby or a weekly activity.” However, the longer structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “I want to share something to you,” “you always at your home,” and “i gonna say this,” where sentence structure and verb forms need correction. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent: sentences begin with lowercase “i,” and the opening uses a full stop where a comma is expected in a greeting. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check verb forms, articles, and punctuation before sending the email.

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

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