Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-07

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 5.0)

Dear Fatima i hop you will be fine . I hear that you want to buy a bicycle . i also have a bicycle , i bought this on my birthday i donnt like this color its colore is very dull and brown. I know that this color is your favirout so i recommend you that if you intrested to bought a bicycle you also get this . I give you this bicycle free . becuse you are my childhood friend . The bicycle is new I not use this much time I use this only some week such as 20 days . its color is very shiney it has two seat its very comfortable and best ypu really like that . i know you big lover of the bicycle and i also know that you like this so I am giving you this as a gift . please accept it and donnt say to me thanks off cours you are my best friend I feel very good if you accept this . Your sincerly Thanks

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of 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 somewhat inconsistent. For example, you contradict yourself by first saying the bike is 'dull and brown' and then later describing it as 'very shiney'. This lack of clarity makes the message slightly confusing. To improve, ensure your ideas are consistent and provide more specific details about the bicycle's features to better persuade your friend.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks clear paragraphing, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of your ideas. While you use some basic cohesive devices like 'because' and 'so', the overall structure is quite fragmented. The flow between sentences is often interrupted by repetitive phrasing and a lack of logical transitions. To reach a higher band, you should group related ideas into distinct paragraphs—one for the explanation of why you are selling it, one for the description, and one for the offer—and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your thoughts more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying on basic words like 'good', 'like', and 'bicycle'. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'hop' (hope), 'favirout' (favourite), 'intrested' (interested), and 'shiney' (shiny). These errors, combined with the misuse of words like 'bought' instead of 'buy', occasionally impede the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on learning more precise adjectives to describe objects and ensure you are using the correct word forms in your sentences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, particularly with verb tenses and sentence structure. For instance, 'I not use this much time' should be 'I have not used it much', and 'I use this only some week' should be 'I only used it for a few weeks'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with many missing capital letters and incorrect spacing. While your meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the text from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and basic tense consistency.

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

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