Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-29

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 Frank,

How are you doing? I hope you are doing well.

I am writing to let you know that about my decision on not interested to use the bicycle anymore. The bicycle is no more okay for me because of my weight this time. I use to weigh 70kg as at the time i bought and it was very comfortable with my weight and height that time, but now, it is not carrying my weight. I scale 100kg now, and with my weight, it put much pressure on the bicycle. So, i aimed at buying another bigger one that could carry my present weight. the bicycle is a small jopper that can be uesed

I feel the bicycle should be better off for you now, in the sense that, you are slim and your weight is not up to mine. i think ,it will also serve as a physical exercise for you. For example, you can be using it for your morning exercise , instead of workout to keep fit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: explaining why you are no longer using the bike, describing it, and suggesting why your friend would like it. However, the description of the bicycle is incomplete; you mention it is a 'small jopper' but the sentence cuts off abruptly, leaving the reader without a clear picture of the bike's features or condition. To improve, ensure you fully develop your ideas and provide a complete description. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, but the development of ideas needs more precision to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between discussing your weight and the description of the bike is abrupt. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'so' and 'for example', but the overall structure feels a bit mechanical. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your ideas transition smoothly from one to the next to create a more natural, cohesive flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite limited and repetitive. You use simple phrases like 'not interested to use' and 'no more okay', which are not natural collocations. There are also some errors in word choice, such as 'I scale 100kg' instead of 'I weigh 100kg'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to bicycles and physical fitness, and work on using more natural idiomatic expressions or collocations appropriate for a friendly letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with verb tense ('I use to weigh'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. For instance, 'I am writing to let you know that about my decision on not interested to use' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. You should focus on basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring that your verbs and prepositions are used correctly. Practising the difference between simple and complex sentence structures will also help improve your score.

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

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