Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-19

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 Joban,

I am writing this letter to inform you that , i put my hero hunda bicycle on sale . I want sell this cycle because this bike height get increased and i am no longer able to ride this bike . The colour of the cycle is black and this has several cool things like the bottle holder , big tire and gear as well as.

I want $200 for my bicycle with this money and adding more money in it , I can buy a new bike for me rather than putting pressure on my family . So please let me know, if you are interested to buy this bike . I will send you pictures of this bicycle or you can visit to my place to check the condition of bike. Thank you for your time and patience.

Best wishes,

Harmanpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: explaining why you are selling the bike, describing it, and suggesting why your friend would like it. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the development of your ideas. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the explanation regarding why your friend would like the bike is quite brief and could have been expanded to better persuade the reader. To improve, ensure you provide more detail in each section to meet the length requirement and fully develop your points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your message. You use basic cohesive devices like 'So' and 'because' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition to this') to create a smoother progression of ideas. Ensure that your paragraphing is consistent and that each paragraph focuses on a single clear theme.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for this task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some specific terms like 'bottle holder' and 'gear'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'this bike height get increased' (should be 'I have outgrown the bike') and 'adding more money in it' (should be 'supplementing this with more money'). To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and precise phrasing rather than literal translations of your thoughts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'i put my hero hunda bicycle on sale' (capitalization and article usage), 'gear as well as' (incorrect word order/usage), and 'interested to buy' (should be 'interested in buying'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound. Proofreading for basic errors like capitalization will also significantly improve your score.

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

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