Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-23

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have rented a house by a lake for the summer.

Write a letter to a friend. In your letter
• describe the house.
• describe how you are spending your time there.
• invite your friend to come and visit.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ____

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Shib,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to you with an exciting new that I have rented a house by a lake for the summer. I want you to invite me for this vicaton.

It is a house of dreams. Since, my childhood I had a dream to live by a lake. Actually, Last week my friends and I made a plan to spent our summer holidays in a different way this year. So we decided to rent this big house. It has 6 rooms and 3 washrooms with top roof swimmimg pool, which is the best part I think.

Firstly we all are planning to move there by the morning and decorate the house with flowers and ribbons. In the evening we have organized a party, our childhood friend Rahul is also join us in the party.

It would be very great. If you could join us on this occasion. It already been 3 years, we have not met. It is a great opportunity to spent some quality time together. Lets make this vacation memorable.

I hope you will have no problem to join us on this weekend.

Best wishes,

Anuj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main purposes of the letter: you describe the rented house, explain plans for your stay, and invite Shib to join you. Details such as “6 rooms and 3 washrooms” and the planned party make the situation clear, and the invitation refers to your long time apart. However, the description focuses more on the house and group plans than on how you personally will spend your time there; the swimming pool is mentioned but not how you will use it. The opening also says “I want you to invite me,” which reverses the intended invitation. Make the invitation direct and develop your daily activities to address each part more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, moving from the news and house description to plans and an invitation, with paragraphs separating these topics. This helps the reader follow the main message. However, some links between ideas are awkward or unclear: “Firstly we all are planning to move there by the morning” is followed by the evening party without explaining the intervening plans, and “It would be very great. If you could join us” breaks one idea into two sentences. The sequence of “Actually,” “So,” and “Firstly” also feels mechanical rather than guiding a clear progression. Use smoother transitions and connect related clauses so the invitation and itinerary read as one coherent letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the setting and plans, including “rented a house by a lake,” “decorate,” and “quality time.” Some specific details, such as the rooftop pool and party, help make the letter personal. However, several inaccurate or unnatural choices reduce precision: “exciting new” should be “exciting news,” “vicaton” is unclear, and “top roof swimming pool” is not a natural phrase. There are also spelling errors such as “swimmimg” and “Lets,” alongside repeated general wording such as “great.” Choose familiar expressions carefully, check spelling, and use more precise language for the activities you plan to enjoy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentences, for example, “Since, my childhood I had a dream to live by a lake” and “It is a great opportunity to spent some quality time together.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, sentence boundaries, and clause construction are frequent enough to make parts awkward. Examples include “my friends and I made a plan to spent,” “Rahul is also join us,” and “It already been 3 years.” The sentence beginning “It would be very great. If…” is incorrectly divided, and “Since” is punctuated and positioned incorrectly. Practise consistent tense and verb patterns, and check that dependent clauses are joined to complete sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.