Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-21

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 well. I am coming to your city next month for vacation. I will stay there for a few days, and I want to explore some interesting places in your city.

You can suggest me which can i first to do. I would like to explore some famous tourist spots, i like to enjoy local food and visit parks and museums.

If you have time we can go to boating and try some local food together. We can spend an evening time together and recall the beautiful memories of the past. We would go to the famous mall and do some shopping together.

I hope to see you soon.

Best wishes,

Harman.

harman.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the purpose of the trip, a request for recommendations, and an invitation to meet. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The explanation of the trip purpose is brief, and the request for sightseeing suggestions lacks detail. To improve, you should expand on your plans and provide more context for your visit. Because the response is 31 words short of the requirement, it fails to fully develop the task, resulting in a lower score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the flow of information. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and somewhat mechanical. For example, the transition between the request for suggestions and the invitation to meet is abrupt. The letter would benefit from more varied linking words and phrases to connect ideas more fluidly. While the overall arrangement is logical, the lack of depth and the brevity of the paragraphs make the progression feel underdeveloped.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'explore some interesting places' and 'enjoy local food' are functional but lack the variety expected at higher bands. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'go to boating,' which should be 'go boating.' To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and precise collocations related to travel and social activities.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'You can suggest me which can i first to do,' which is syntactically incorrect and confusing. Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as the lowercase 'i' used throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors and the lack of complex sentence control limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct word order in questions will help improve your accuracy.

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

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