Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-26

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)

My dearest friend Adnan,

i hope this letter finds you well in health and peace .

what are the activities now a days , i heard its also holiday season in Norway.

so here i have also . but i have plan something to make may time more productive for my inner health and to change my daily routine , i will visit Naran village in Pakistan , its most beautiful and scenery is more captivating . my mental health is tired in city hustle . so i will be good enough for me i will visit the historic sights . i want to invite you to join me as well in this trip , we will have fun together like hiking, painting and enjoying good food . i hope you will pay attention towards the offer . i will effect on your daily routine to get a fresh start.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all three bullet points from the prompt, although the execution of some parts is somewhat confused. You successfully explained the purpose of the trip by stating that you want to change your daily routine and visit Naran village in Pakistan due to city stress. You also asked about things to do and see, mentioning historic sights and activities like hiking, and you invited your friend to join you. However, there are some contradictions and confusing details, such as mentioning Norway in the opening questions while planning a trip to Pakistan, which slightly detracts from the clarity of the context. Overall, the requirements of a General Training Task 1 letter are met with all prompt bullet points addressed, placing the response at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter lacks proper paragraphing, as it is written as a single block of text, which affects the overall visual organisation and flow. There are also abrupt transitions between sentences, such as moving directly from asking about Norway to explaining your own holiday plans without a clear cohesive link. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes mechanical or unclear, such as the use of 'so here i have also' and 'so it will be good enough for me'. Although the progression of ideas is generally understandable, the lack of paragraph division and occasional referencing issues limit the coherence to a Band 5.0 level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with several instances of awkward word choice and collocation. For example, phrases like 'mental health is tired in city hustle' and 'i will effect on your daily routine' are unnatural and imprecise. You do attempt some less common vocabulary items such as 'captivating', 'productive', and 'historic sights', but errors in word formation and phrasing are frequent, such as 'may time' instead of 'my time' and 'scenery is more captivating'. These inaccuracies sometimes cause confusion for the reader, aligning the lexical control with Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and attempted complex sentence forms in the letter, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak throughout. Capitalisation rules are frequently ignored (e.g., 'i', 'q', starting sentences without capital letters), and punctuation is faulty, with spaces placed incorrectly before punctuation marks. Grammatical structures often contain errors, such as 'i have plan something' instead of 'I have planned something', 'i will visit Naran village... its most beautiful', and run-on sentences joined inappropriately by commas. Due to frequent errors that impact readability, this falls into the Band 5.0 category.

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

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