Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-06

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 Riya,

Hope you are doing splendidly ! It feels like absolute ages, since we last caught up ! How have things been going with you and your family?

I am writing this to ask you some important suggestions regarding my upcoming trip. I am planning to come to toronto on next long weekend. Besides this, I only have 2 days for my whole trip.

I want you to guide me proprely, although I've very limited time for my staycation. I was wondering if you can make some 48 hour travel planning in GTA. As you know that I am so fond of water activities, I want to do some if possible. I want cover all main attractions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The letter establishes a friendly context and gives a basic purpose: you are planning a visit to Toronto over a long weekend. It also asks Riya for suggestions about sightseeing and water activities. However, the purpose is only briefly explained, and the request for things to see remains broad (“I want cover all main attractions”). Most importantly, the required invitation is missing: you do not ask Riya to join you for an activity. The response also falls short of the stated 150-word minimum, so there is not enough development to cover the task fully. Add details about the business trip, ask about specific attractions or activities, and invite Riya to join you for one of them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The message has a recognisable letter format, and its ideas move from a greeting to the trip and then to requests for advice. The opening questions help establish a friendly tone. However, the body is very short and does not develop a clear progression between the business purpose, sightseeing questions, and an invitation. Phrases such as “Besides this” do not clearly connect the ideas, and the final request ends abruptly without a closing or sign-off. Organise the body into short paragraphs, with one for the trip details, one for your sightseeing questions, and one for inviting your friend. Use clear links such as “As I’ll have two free days…” to show how the ideas relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for a friendly letter, including “upcoming trip,” “water activities,” and “main attractions.” These choices make the general topic clear, and the tone is mostly informal and appropriate. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural expressions that limit precision: “important suggestions” would be better expressed as “some advice,” “staycation” does not fit a visit to another city, and “48 hour travel planning” is awkward. There are also spelling and capitalisation slips, including “proprely” and “toronto.” Choose natural collocations and check spelling: for example, ask for a “two-day itinerary” and refer to your “stay in Toronto.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex forms, such as “I was wondering if you can…” and “As you know that…”. The main meaning is generally understandable, and errors do not prevent the reader from following your plans. Some grammatical and punctuation problems remain: “I am planning to come to toronto on next long weekend” needs more accurate article and preposition use, while “I want cover” is missing “to.” The construction “As you know that” is also not well formed, and spaces before exclamation marks are unnecessary. Aim for accurate patterns such as “I’m planning to visit Toronto over the long weekend” and “I want to cover the main attractions.”

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

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