Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You take the number 24 bus from Northfield to the city centre several times a week. Recently, you have found it difficult to plan your journeys because you cannot rely on the service. You decide to write to the bus company to explain your concerns and ask it to improve the service.

Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter

• explain why you use this bus service
• describe the problems you have experienced with it
• suggest what changes the company could make to improve the service

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear sir,

I am writing to you, about some improvements in your bus service. I was a regular customer of your bus company. I usually take the bus # 24 from Northfield to city Centre several times a week for my afternoon classes at local university nearby.

However, currently for the couple of weeks the bus is started to late from its schedule time, because of this I missed my important lectures several times. As well as the late arrival of bus also make it very crowdy, many customers had to travel by standing in the bus.

These problems are now making it difficult for me to continue this bus service anymore.

I would like to suggest you, to improve the bus timings so that it arrive at it's schedule time. Otherwise it will ruin the image and service of your company.

your's faithfully

x.y.z

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You explain why you use the service—travelling to afternoon classes—and describe two relevant problems: late buses causing missed lectures and overcrowding. You also make a request to improve the timetable. However, the response only partially develops the task: the proposed change is limited to punctuality, with no practical detail such as more frequent buses or extra services at busy times. The opening and closing are present, but the letter is slightly below the required 150 words. Add a little more detail about the impact of the delays and suggest a specific measure to address overcrowding as well as lateness.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally coherent sequence: you introduce your regular use, explain the service problems, and then make a request. The paragraph break before the consequences helps distinguish the complaint from the proposed solution. Linking expressions such as “However” and “As well as” show an attempt to connect ideas, although the latter does not form a clear connection in its sentence. The final request also follows logically, but the letter would be easier to follow if each main point were developed in a separate paragraph and the relationship between late buses and overcrowding were stated more clearly. Overall, the organisation is sound, though some cohesion is mechanical or unclear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main complaint, using relevant terms such as “regular customer,” “schedule,” “lectures,” and “crowdy.” However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are noticeably inaccurate, which can make the letter less natural. For example, “crowdy” is not the usual word for a bus with too many passengers, and “improvements in your bus service” is less precise than language that directly identifies reliability. “Ruin the image” is also an awkward way to describe the possible effect on the company. Aim for accurate, formal collocations and vary the wording used to describe delays and service reliability.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “because of this” and a sentence explaining the consequences of late buses. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For example, “the bus is started to late” has an incorrect verb form, while “the late arrival of bus also make” has problems with the article and subject–verb agreement. There are also errors in “it arrive” and “at it's schedule time.” Practise forming past and present verb phrases, checking agreement, and using articles and possessives accurately. Shorter, carefully checked sentences would help make your meaning clearer.

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

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