Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You are planning a business trip to another city. You will have some free time to do some sightseeing while you are there.
 

Write a letter to a friend who lives in the city you will visit. In your letter:
• explain the purpose of the trip.
• ask about things to do and see in the city.
• invite your friend to do something with you during your visit.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ____

Student answer (Band 5.5)

dear friend , i am planning a business trip in your city next monday . actually my company send me on this trip for some official work after the work i have some free time to do something so that i am asking to you what is special things in your city to do and what i can see there. because i am coming here first time i have no idea about anything like good food,famous places to see and other things. so please you can join me on my trip if you will be free on that time because i really need for your help without you i will be bore all the time and i will have nothing to do . thertefore if this can be possible for you that you can take off your work this will be very helpful for me . we will enjoy toghether and we will spend time each other and you can introduce your city very well . so if you will be with me this will be very good for me. i hope you will under stand my situation. Thank you . from Nim

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three required points: you explain that your company has sent you for official work, ask about local food and famous places, and invite your friend to join you. The purpose and request are clear, so the reader can understand what you need. Some parts are less fully developed: the sightseeing question remains broad, and the invitation does not suggest a particular activity or time beyond “next monday.” The request that your friend “take off your work” also makes the invitation sound demanding rather than friendly. To strengthen the letter, name a possible outing, such as visiting a landmark or having dinner, and give a little more detail about your schedule while keeping the tone warm and considerate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The ideas are generally relevant and follow a sensible order: you introduce the trip, ask for recommendations, and then invite your friend. However, the response is presented as one long block, so the stages of the letter are not clearly separated. Many ideas are joined with repeated “so,” “because,” and “and,” which makes the progression feel mechanical; for example, the invitation and the explanation of why you need help run together. Use short paragraphs and clearer links, such as “After work,” “As this is my first visit,” and “Would you be free to…?” A conventional greeting and sign-off would also make the letter easier to follow as a friendly message.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the main message, including “business trip,” “official work,” “free time,” and “famous places.” The range is limited, though, and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make parts less natural, such as “special things,” “I will be bore,” “take off your work,” and “spend time each other.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall purpose, but they reduce precision and sometimes require the reader to interpret your meaning. Build a small set of natural phrases for asking for recommendations and making invitations, and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The letter attempts both simple statements and longer sentences with reasons, as in “because i am coming here first time i have no idea…” This shows an effort to connect ideas, but the longer structures are often difficult to control. Errors include “my company send me” instead of a correctly formed past-tense verb, “what i can see” in an indirect question, and “if you will be free” in a conditional invitation. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, with sentence boundaries often missing. Practise forming indirect questions and polite conditional requests, and divide long sentences into shorter, accurately punctuated ones. This will make your meaning clearer while allowing you to retain some complex sentence forms.

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

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