Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-19

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 Tommy,

Hope you're hale and hearty!

I am writing this letter, in order to tell you that I am visiting your city for the purpose of business. Moreover, I am coming with our office team for the duration of a week and our motive is to find best area for our deal and our company have decided to purchase a land for godown.

Let me shed some light Firstly, we have made a plan for this trip and decide to travel all the famous spots and do some physical activities such as hiking river-rafting and so on. Moreover, we also visit the famous market.

Additionally, I am waiting you and meet me as you should know all the famous places of your city so please assist us and visit all the spots and we together do some activities and make a memory.

Looking forward to your prompt response!

Best Regards,

Roman.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: the purpose of the trip, a request for recommendations, and an invitation to meet. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of the business purpose is slightly vague, and the request for sightseeing tips is repetitive. To improve, you should provide more specific details about the business nature or the types of activities you enjoy. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend, though some phrasing feels a bit formal or unnatural for an informal correspondence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'Firstly'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the business purpose and the sightseeing plans is abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'I am waiting you and meet me', which lacks proper grammatical connection. Improving the use of linking phrases and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'hale and hearty' and 'shed some light'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choices and collocations. For example, 'purchase a land for godown' is not standard English; 'purchase land for a warehouse' would be more accurate. Additionally, 'travel all the famous spots' is slightly unnatural; 'visit' or 'explore' would be better. You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, but the lack of precision in word choice occasionally hinders the natural flow of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the clarity of your writing. Issues include missing articles ('purchase a land'), incorrect preposition usage ('waiting you'), and awkward phrasing ('our motive is to find best area'). Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency also need attention, such as 'we also visit' instead of 'we will also visit'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for small grammatical slips will be very beneficial.

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

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