Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-10

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 Lovy,

I hope you doing well, I'm writing this letter to you that I have a bicycle from last 6 months, which I bought on my birthday. However, now I got new scooty so, I have no longer use of bicycle.

Bicycle looks like new, it have great phone stand on the handle, thin wheels with little wires in it, the wheels are amazing for drifts and stunts as well as it have bottle keeper. Moreover it is best for exercise too.

I want to give it to you because you wanted the cycle from a long time, I know it because Sawan told me about it. I believe you would like it please tell me what you decide.

your friend/

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: explaining why you are no longer using the bike, describing it, and explaining why your friend would like it. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the development of your ideas. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the content is quite brief and lacks the necessary detail to fully satisfy the task requirements. To improve, you should expand on your descriptions and provide more context for your points to ensure you meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for this task. However, the flow between ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Moreover', but the transitions between sentences are occasionally abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels a bit disjointed due to the brevity of the sentences. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your ideas are connected more fluidly to create a more natural progression of thought throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for a simple letter but lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'new', 'great', and 'amazing'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'bottle keeper' (instead of 'bottle cage') and 'no longer use of bicycle' (instead of 'no longer have a use for the bicycle'). To improve, focus on learning more specific vocabulary related to objects and their features, and pay attention to how words are commonly paired together in English.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors throughout the text that affect the clarity of your writing. For example, 'I hope you doing well' should be 'I hope you are doing well', and 'it have' should be 'it has'. Additionally, there are issues with article usage and sentence structure, such as 'I'm writing this letter to you that I have a bicycle'. While the meaning is generally understandable, these frequent errors indicate a limited control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and basic sentence construction will help improve your accuracy.

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.