Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-18

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 Urvil,

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good spirits. I'm writing to let you know I'm planning a business trip to your city in coming month on 23rd September. I would like to visit the famous sightseeing in Vancouver.

As you know, I own the restaurant in Calgary. I have a meeting with a few people in your city who want to open the same Calcity pizza in your city.

I know there are many things are very popular in Vancouver. I would like to really enjoy activities, such as riverrafting, paragliding, scuba driving and so on. Moreover, the famous food masala dhosa I would like to enjoy with you.

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 advice, and an invitation to meet. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The explanation of the business trip is brief, and the invitation lacks detail. Because the length requirement is not met, the response cannot be fully developed, resulting in a lower score for task achievement. To improve, you should expand on your ideas, such as providing more context about your business meeting or suggesting a specific time and place for the meeting with your friend.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a personal letter. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas smoothly. For example, the transition between the business purpose and the sightseeing request is abrupt. The use of 'Moreover' is a good attempt at a cohesive device, but overall, the flow is mechanical. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite basic and contains some inaccuracies. For instance, 'scuba driving' is an incorrect collocation for 'scuba diving', and 'Calcity pizza' is unclear. While you attempt to use specific terms like 'sightseeing' and 'activities', the range is limited. To achieve a higher band score, try to use more precise and natural collocations. Instead of 'I know there are many things are very popular', which is grammatically awkward, you could use 'I am aware that there are many popular attractions in Vancouver'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are several grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'in coming month on 23rd September' (missing articles and preposition usage), 'I own the restaurant' (should be 'a restaurant'), and 'there are many things are very popular' (incorrect sentence structure). The range of structures is limited to simple sentences, with few attempts at complex grammatical forms. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and incorporating a mix of complex sentence structures to demonstrate greater control over English grammar.

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

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