Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-11

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 5.0)

Dear ali

i hope you are doing well. I am writting to tell you that i am planning to visit your city next month. I am going there with my family during the school holidays because we want to explore tne city and take a brake from our usual routine.

Since you have been living there for long time,could you please tell me about some intersting places to visit? I would love to know about the best parks or some other places for the shoping malls and

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 87 words long. Consequently, the task is incomplete. While the letter attempts to address the three bullet points—explaining the purpose, asking for recommendations, and inviting the friend—the content is severely underdeveloped. The letter ends abruptly mid-sentence, meaning the invitation and the conclusion are missing entirely. To improve, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are fully developed and that you reach the required length by providing more detail and context for each point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is too short to demonstrate a full range of cohesive devices or effective paragraphing. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression in the opening, the abrupt ending prevents a coherent structure. The use of linking words is minimal, and the lack of a proper closing or sign-off further impacts the overall flow. To improve, ensure you use a variety of transition signals (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') to connect your ideas and organize your letter into clear, distinct paragraphs for each point requested in the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, which limits the ability to convey ideas with precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'writting' instead of 'writing', 'tne' instead of 'the', 'brake' instead of 'break', and 'intersting' instead of 'interesting'. These errors are noticeable and detract from the quality of the writing. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary related to travel and social activities and pay closer attention to spelling accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including issues with capitalization (e.g., 'ali', 'i') and punctuation. Sentence structures are simple and repetitive. There are also errors in word formation and syntax, such as 'for long time' (missing article) and 'places for the shoping malls' (awkward phrasing). The incomplete sentence at the end also indicates a lack of control over sentence structure. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensure proper capitalization, and practice using a mix of simple and complex sentence structures accurately.

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

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