Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-17

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 Raman,

I hope you are doing good.

I am writing this letter to invite you on the business trip to toronto.

Last week, I got a mail from my supervisor and I was very happy when I come to know about I have a business trip to toronto. Basically this trip is about the deal of tariff which are implemenated on the product.

This one is 10 days trip, from 12th of january to 22rd of january. The meeting is scheduled on 13th and 14th of january after that the whole team is free.So it is good time to plan a short tour to toronto.

I am writing this letter to invite you on this trip.It is very nice if you have free time on this week, then we can spend good time together in toronto. I have made a lot of plans for trip

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the purpose of the trip, a request for sightseeing suggestions, and an invitation to meet. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the development of ideas. While the purpose is clear, the request for sightseeing suggestions is entirely missing from the text; you mention wanting to plan a tour but fail to actually ask your friend for their recommendations. To improve, ensure all parts of the prompt are explicitly addressed and expand on your ideas to meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used, though the paragraphs are quite short. Cohesive devices are present but somewhat repetitive (e.g., 'I am writing this letter to...'). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the business purpose and the invitation could be smoother. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that flows naturally into the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'doing good' and 'get a mail' are informal and slightly unnatural. You rely on basic vocabulary to explain the business context, such as 'deal of tariff'. Using more precise business terminology would improve the quality of your writing. While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, preventing a higher score. Focus on learning collocations and more sophisticated synonyms to express your ideas more fluently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are several grammatical errors that affect the flow of the text. For example, 'when I come to know' should be 'when I came to know', and '22rd' is an incorrect ordinal number. You also have issues with article usage ('the deal of tariff') and verb tense consistency. While you attempt some complex sentences, they often contain errors. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct tense usage, and proofreading for small mechanical errors like typos and incorrect date formats.

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

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