Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have a bicycle that you are no longer using. You would like to sell it to a friend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• explain why you are no longer using your bicycle.
• describe your bicycle.
• explain why you think your friend would like to have it.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Satwinder,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to tell you that i have a bicycle which is on sale.

Yesterday , i saw a post on your personal Fasebook account that you are looking for a bicycle.

If you need, i have a bicycle of HERO company . It is black in colour and its functioning properly as its new. It also have one headlight at front as you can use it in night as well.I really love my bicycle , now i going to boarding school where i have to stay in the hostel.Therfore, i dont need my bicycle as for long.

I know, although ypur school is providing good eduction , its really dont have good trasport service for student. School is also so far from your home. So, i think you should have your own cycle.

Your Lovingly

Aman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that you are moving to a boarding school and will stay in a hostel, describe the bicycle as a black Hero model with a working headlight, and connect the offer to your friend’s transport needs. The reason your friend might want it is relevant, especially the distance from home to school. However, some details are less fully developed: the bicycle’s condition and features are described briefly, and the reason for selling could be expressed more clearly. The response also falls two words short of the required minimum. Adding a little detail about the bicycle’s age or condition and making the offer explicit would make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally logical order: you introduce the offer, describe the bicycle and explain why you no longer need it, then give reasons your friend may find it useful. Paragraphing helps separate these ideas, and the reader can follow the overall message. Some links are awkward or unclear, however. For example, “If you need, i have a bicycle” does not connect smoothly to the Facebook post, while “I know, although…” makes the relationship between the school’s education and transport service difficult to follow. The closing also appears abruptly. Use clearer transitions and organise the description and reasons into distinct, complete paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “boarding school,” “hostel,” “headlight,” and “transport service.” These choices are relevant to the situation, and the reader can understand the offer. However, spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “Fasebook,” “Therfore,” “eduction,” and “trasport.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “its functioning properly as its new” and “Your Lovingly.” Choose more natural expressions for describing condition and signing off, and check spelling carefully. A slightly wider range of precise vocabulary would help the letter sound more fluent and appropriate for a friendly offer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the explanation that you are going to boarding school and the sentence beginning “although your school…”. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. Examples include “i have” and “It also have,” where capitalisation and subject–verb agreement are incorrect, and “now i going,” which needs an auxiliary verb. The sentence about the bicycle’s condition also needs a clearer structure, such as “It is functioning properly and is almost like new.” Review verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas easier to read.

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

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