Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-13

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 Rosb,

I am writing to inform you that I will be traveling to Dubai next week for vacation and I will be spending two weeks.I have booked my flight and also arranged my accommodation where i wil be staying at the King Hotel throughout the vacation.

I would be glad if you can recommend activities we can do, places we visit, movies we can watch and alot of games we can play. I know you will have ideas since you have been staying in there for a longer period of time.

If you would be chanced, I would be glad to have you come with me to the museum to enable us to see alot of stuffs.After which we can go to the beach to swim. And I know swimming is of your best hobbies and you will be wiiling to teach me how to swim.

It has been a long time I saw you and I can not wait to see you once again

Yours sincerely,

Robiat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The letter covers the three requested points: you explain the trip, ask for recommendations, and invite Rosb to visit the museum and beach. However, the purpose is described as “for vacation,” rather than the specified business trip, so an important task detail is inaccurate. The sightseeing questions are also broad and partly unfocused: asking about “movies” and “alot of games” does not clearly prioritise things to see and do as a visitor. The invitation is relevant, but the plan and timing are not fully clear. To strengthen the response, state that you are travelling for work, explain when you will be free, and ask about a few specific local attractions or activities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The ideas are arranged in a clear sequence: the opening explains your travel plans, the next paragraph asks for suggestions, and the final paragraph makes an invitation. This paragraphing and the links “If you would be chanced” and “After which” help the reader follow the main points, so the letter is coherent overall. Some connections are less smooth, however: the invitation paragraph moves quickly from the museum to the beach and then to swimming lessons, without clarifying when these activities would happen. The final sentence about looking forward to meeting is also separated from the invitation rather than integrated into a clear closing. Use more precise transitions and make the sequence of plans explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the main message, including “recommend activities,” “accommodation,” “museum,” and “beach.” However, the range is limited and several choices or spellings are noticeably inaccurate, which can make the letter less natural. Examples include “alot of stuffs,” “chanced,” and “wiiling”; “staying in there” is also an awkward expression for describing a friend’s residence in the city. Some wording, such as “movies we can watch” and “games we can play,” is not especially precise for sightseeing. Build a more suitable range for travel and friendly invitations, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, such as “I know you will have ideas since you have been staying in there for a longer period of time.” The main message remains understandable, but errors in sentence boundaries, verb forms, and sentence construction are frequent enough to affect accuracy. For example, “two weeks.I have booked” needs a space and clearer punctuation, while “It has been a long time I saw you” needs a grammatical link such as “since.” The invitation sentence beginning “If you would be chanced” is also structurally faulty. Practise accurate conditional forms and clauses, and use full stops to separate complete ideas.

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

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