Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-22

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 Manav,

I hope you are doing well, I am writing this letter to give you a wounderful news that I am coming to your city next week for holidays.

Actually, me and my friends were planning to explore a new city. Then we decided why do not we go to your city, as it has many facinating locations to explore.

I want you to suggest us some best locations of city where we can see the whole downtown also do you know any place for breakfast!!!. It would be really appriciated if you can help to rent a appartment for us to stay.

This is the first trip of year and I really want you to join us, as its already been 3-years, we have not meet each other. This is the best chance for get together after long time and I can assure you the trip would be more memorable if you could be the part of group.

I hope you are free on next weekend and manage to come with us on this tour. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Yours faithfully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover the main purposes of the letter: you explain that you are visiting the city, ask for recommendations, and invite Manav to join you. The request for places to visit and breakfast, along with the invitation to spend time together, is relevant. However, the trip’s purpose is not consistent with the prompt: you describe a holiday with friends rather than a business trip with sightseeing in your free time. The request for help renting an apartment is also not one of the stated aims and takes space from developing the business-trip context. Clarify why you are travelling for work, then explain what sightseeing you hope to do and suggest a specific activity with your friend.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: you introduce the visit, ask for local advice, and then invite your friend. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these purposes, and phrases such as “Actually” and “I hope” guide the reader through the message. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, however. “Then we decided why do not we go to your city” does not smoothly explain the decision, and the long invitation paragraph combines the time since you last met, the value of a reunion, and the proposed trip. The final request to join “next weekend” is also not clearly linked to the earlier “next week.” Use clearer transitions and keep the invitation focused on one specific plan and time.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of vocabulary suited to a friendly letter, including “explore,” “downtown,” “memorable,” and “get together.” These choices make your plans and warm relationship understandable. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, as in “wounderful,” “facinating,” and “appriciated,” and some phrases are not natural collocations: “some best locations of city” and “the part of group.” “Yours faithfully” is also too formal for a letter to a friend. Aim for accurate, natural phrases such as “recommend some good places to visit” and “join our group,” and check spelling carefully. This would make your vocabulary more precise and appropriate to the informal context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including the explanation beginning “Actually” and the invitation with “as.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect fluency. For example, “I hope you are doing well, I am writing” joins two independent clauses with only a comma; “me and my friends were planning” has an incorrect subject form; and “why do not we go” uses question word order incorrectly in reported speech. There are also errors in articles and agreement, such as “a appartment” and “the trip would be more memorable if you could be the part.” Use shorter, correctly punctuated sentences where needed, and review subject forms, articles, and conditional structures.

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

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