Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-18

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 Friend,

How are you? I hope you are doing well.

I am writing this latter to give information regarding that bicycle that I want to sell which I not used from a long time.

First of all, I buy a bike so this is the reason for not using bicycle any more, But I think that I have sell this.

Furthermore, this is in good condition and it tires are new and it is hero jet company. Moreover, it 20 inches in size which is comfortable you you.

In addition to this, I want sell it to you because you are my close friend and I know this very well you are the only one who properly take care of this cycle and I want to give it you in very reasonable price.

I would like to appreciate you efforts.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards

Vipandeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: explaining why you are no longer using the bike, describing it, and explaining why your friend would like it. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For example, the description of the bicycle is very brief, and the explanation for why you are selling it is somewhat repetitive. To improve, try to expand on your points with more detail—such as mentioning specific features of the bike or describing the fun times you had with it—to make the letter feel more personal and engaging.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, with clear paragraphs for each part of the prompt. You have used some cohesive devices like 'First of all', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition to this' to link your ideas. However, some of these transitions feel a bit mechanical or forced. Additionally, there are some issues with referencing, such as 'that bicycle' and 'this is the reason', which could be clearer. Improving the flow between sentences by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring your pronouns clearly refer back to the intended nouns will help improve your score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'good condition' and 'reasonable price'. However, there are several word-choice errors, such as 'I buy a bike' (should be 'I bought a new bike') and 'I would like to appreciate you efforts' (which is not the correct context for 'appreciate'). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise vocabulary and ensuring your collocations (words that naturally go together) are accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with verb tenses ('I not used', 'I buy a bike'), articles ('it tires are new'), and sentence structure ('it 20 inches in size which is comfortable you you'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these errors are persistent and distract the reader. You should focus on basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions. Practicing proofreading your work for these common errors will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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