Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-11

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 Rita,

I hope you are having a wonderful day. I am writing this letter to inform you that I am selling my favourite bicycle for 250$. Because my father bought me another one so I am basically not using it. My cycle is of pink color with a flower basket at front and there are beautiful hanging on the both handles of the bicycle. You have always wanted a bicycle same like mine within your budget. So, if you interested just let me know and you can pick it from my house.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 93 words long. While you have addressed all three bullet points—explaining why you are selling the bike, describing it, and suggesting why your friend would like it—the development of these ideas is very limited. The explanation for selling the bike is brief, and the description of the bicycle lacks sufficient detail to fully engage the reader. To improve, you must expand on your points by adding more descriptive language and context to ensure the letter reaches the required length and provides a more comprehensive response to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, and the progression of ideas is clear. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Because', 'So', and 'if', which help link your sentences. However, the lack of paragraphing makes the text appear as a single block, which is not ideal for a letter format. To achieve a higher band, you should use a wider range of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition') and ensure that you use clear paragraph breaks to separate your introduction, body points, and closing statement.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. Phrases like 'favourite bicycle', 'pink color', and 'flower basket' are functional but lack the variety expected at higher levels. There are also minor errors, such as 'beautiful hanging', which is grammatically incorrect as it should be a noun phrase like 'beautiful decorations' or 'streamers'. To improve, try to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and precise nouns to paint a clearer picture of the bicycle. Expanding your range of vocabulary will help you express your ideas with more precision and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors. For example, 'Because my father bought me another one so I am basically not using it' is a run-on sentence with awkward phrasing. Additionally, 'bicycle same like mine' should be 'bicycle the same as mine'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure needs more variety and accuracy. Focus on avoiding repetitive sentence patterns and ensure that your complex sentences are constructed correctly to improve your overall grammatical control.

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

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