Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-12

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 simar,

i hope you are doing well. As you know, i have a bicycle which one i brought from Dubai. I want to sell it because i am going abroad for my job . i applied it long time ago. Now i have Employment letter for job. In upcoming weeks, i will go to Canada and then my Cycle will no longer in use for me and my family.

when we were at Dubai trip then i like some features of it . it is a sports bike with four shifting gears which describes it can run on very difficults paths. it has a big light which help to lit up the way when you will ride in night time.furthermore, it is very light weight and we can carry it in our car too .

i know you also like adventure so you can ride it.

I hope you will take care of it, that's why i am asking to take care of it.

thank you

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three required points: you explain that you are moving to Canada for work, describe the bicycle as a sports bike with four gears, a large light and a light frame, and connect it to your friend’s interest in adventure. These details make the offer relevant and understandable. However, some points are less fully developed: the reason your family will not use the bicycle is only briefly stated, and the explanation of why Simar would like it is limited to saying that they enjoy adventure. Add a specific example of how the bicycle suits their needs, and make the selling offer and any practical details clearer. The friendly purpose is apparent, though the closing could be more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a generally sensible order: you introduce the situation, describe the bicycle, and then explain why it may suit your friend. The paragraph breaks also help distinguish these stages. Some links between ideas are less smooth, however. For example, “when we were at Dubai trip then i like some features of it” shifts abruptly from your move to the bicycle’s features, while “furthermore” is attached to the preceding sentence without clear punctuation. The repeated idea in “I hope you will take care of it, that's why i am asking to take care of it” also weakens the ending. Use clearer sentence boundaries and a more direct closing to make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main details, including “sports bike,” “shifting gears,” “difficult paths,” and “light weight.” These choices help the reader picture the bicycle and understand its possible use. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “which one i brought,” “it can run on very difficults paths,” and “lit up the way.” The repeated use of “take care of it” also limits variety and does not clearly express the offer to sell. Choose more natural collocations and precise terms—for example, describe the bicycle as suitable for rough terrain and say that its light helps the rider see at night. This would make the description more fluent and convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The letter includes both simple statements and attempts at longer sentences, such as the explanation that you are moving abroad and the description of the bicycle’s features. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include “i have a bicycle which one i brought,” “i applied it long time ago,” and “my Cycle will no longer in use”; these show problems with relative clauses, verb forms and sentence structure. In “a big light which help,” the verb does not agree with its subject, and several sentences run together without appropriate punctuation. Practise forming accurate clauses and checking tense, agreement and articles, while keeping longer sentences controlled. Consistent capitalisation of “I” and sentence openings would also improve accuracy.

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