Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-03

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 or madam,

I am writing this email to request for rollback your latest update with the number 24 bus scheduling.

I am using this bus route to reach my workplace which is located in the city centre from Northfield. I oftently use this service in a week. Which will very helpful for me to travel to my job place, also I use this bus route to get my groceries and shopping on weekend.

Due to recent changes of the number 24 bus time table, i felt so many difficulties with daily commute to my workplace in the morning time during rush hours. Also, this schedule changes affects my rutine weekly shopping timing too. Moreover, some many people from my locality does not happy with such schedule update.

I have humble request for roll back again old schedule or solve recent update some unwanted issues by the ASAP. I would appreciate your kindness towards people of Northfield.

Best regards.

Mohammad

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you explain that you travel from Northfield to work in the city centre, mention shopping, describe difficulties following timetable changes, and ask for the old schedule to be restored. The purpose of the letter is therefore relevant, but the concerns and proposed improvements are only partly developed. For example, “so many difficulties” does not explain what happens in practice, such as delays, missed connections, or longer waits, and the request to “solve recent update some unwanted issues” is unclear. The dissatisfaction of other residents is also asserted without detail. To make the response more complete, give one or two specific examples of the service problems and state clearly what practical changes you want the company to make.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening request, a paragraph about why you use the route, a paragraph describing the timetable problems, and a closing request. This gives the reader a generally clear progression, and linking expressions such as “Also” and “Moreover” help connect related points. However, some connections are awkward or unclear, particularly “Which will very helpful for me” and “Also, this schedule changes affects…”. The final paragraph combines a request to restore the old timetable with a vague request to fix issues, so the desired action is not easy to follow. Use complete sentences and organise the proposed changes into a direct, clearly worded request; this would make the cohesion more natural and less dependent on basic linking words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “bus route,” “daily commute,” “rush hours,” and “schedule,” so the reader can identify the topic and your main concerns. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making the message difficult to interpret. For instance, “request for rollback your latest update” and “solve recent update some unwanted issues” do not express your request naturally, while “rutine” and “oftently” are misspelled. “Job place” and “weekly shopping timing” are also less natural choices in this context. Aim for precise, conventional phrases such as “restore the previous timetable,” “resolve the problems caused by the changes,” and “my commute to work.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, and the main message is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence construction, verb forms, agreement, and punctuation. For example, “Which will very helpful for me” is a fragment and lacks a verb, while “this schedule changes affects” has incorrect agreement. In “some many people from my locality does not happy,” the quantifier, verb form, and sentence structure are all faulty. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, as in “i felt.” Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and auxiliary verbs. For example: “The timetable changes have made my morning commute difficult, and many local residents are unhappy with them.”

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

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