Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Your friend Maya invited you to her birthday dinner at a restaurant in Bristol last Saturday. You were going to meet her at 7 pm, but you couldn't make it. You haven't talked to her since.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• apologise to Maya for missing her birthday dinner
• explain why you were unable to go
• suggest a time and place to meet soon

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ...............,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Maya,

I am writing this letter to apologise on my mistake that I was not able to come on your special day. The fact is that on your birthday, my uncle and aunt visited our house, who live in Canada but now visited here for a short period of time, so it was very hard for me to leave them alone at home. Although I tired that my whole tasks has to be dome on time but I could not.

As I have one cousin as you know my uncle and aunt come India to find a Broom for my sister so on that day we all visited their house for small get together as you know here I am the only one who manage all the things that's why I have to go with them.

Hope you understand my situation and I really appreciate it if you would give me another time and location for meeting as I am free on Sunday evening I think this works for you as well. We will definetly meet in Grand hotel at 7pm

I really thankful to you for understanding

Yours Lovely,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you apologise for missing the dinner, explain that your relatives were visiting, and propose Sunday evening at the Grand Hotel. The reason is relevant, and the personal details make the letter feel directed to Maya. However, the explanation becomes unclear when you mention your uncle and aunt coming to India to find a “Broom” for your sister and visiting their house; the connection between these events and missing the dinner is not fully explained. The proposed meeting is specific, but “another time and location” asks Maya to choose even though you then give a definite plan. The response covers the task well overall, with some ideas less clearly developed than others. Clarify the sequence of events and make the invitation direct.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, moving from an apology and explanation to a suggested meeting, and the paragraphs broadly separate these purposes. Some links help the reader follow the message, such as “Although” and “that's why.” However, the progression is weakened by repeated “as you know” and by several ideas being joined in long sentences without clear relationships. For example, the sentence about your relatives visiting, coming to India, and going to their house is difficult to follow. The final paragraph also shifts from asking Maya to suggest a time and place to stating a plan. Use clearer sentence boundaries and organise the explanation in chronological order to make the cohesion more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main message, including relevant expressions such as “apologise,” “special day,” “get together,” and “free on Sunday evening.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make parts of the letter difficult to interpret. “Apologise on my mistake” is not a natural expression, and “find a Broom for my sister” appears to use the wrong word, obscuring an important detail. “I really thankful” and “Yours Lovely” are also awkward choices for these contexts. Aim for familiar, accurate phrases rather than attempting wording you are unsure about, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “my uncle and aunt visited our house, who live in Canada” and a conditional form in “if you would give me another time.” These attempts show some range, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make several sentences hard to read. For example, “my whole tasks has to be dome” has problems with agreement and verb form, while “I really thankful to you” is missing a verb. The relative clause also attaches uncle and aunt unclearly. Practise building accurate short sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses; check tense consistency and subject–verb agreement.

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

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