Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-16

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)

Hi Aman,

How are you? I hope everything is going well with you. I'm writing this letter to know you about that I'm selling my bicycle.

As you know that I recently shifted to my new house and I have getting problem to park my bicycle because of plenty of space in my garage as you know we have two cars and in my new house their is only space for two vehicles.

My bicycle looks almost new and I recently installed new tires and brakes in it that's also having very good colour combination with red and black. I excited to tell you that it also have different modes like sports and eco mode because this cycle have batteries.

I know that you are looking for some bicycle from long time because i also know that you are going to school by walking and thats why i suggest to have a look on my bicycle once because its good in condition and having very new equipments which make your ride more smooth and comfortable.

Your regards.

Divyam.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The student explains why they are no longer using the bicycle, mentioning that they recently shifted to a new house with limited garage space. The bicycle is also described in terms of its appearance, new tyres, brakes, and colour combination. Finally, the writer explains why their friend Aman would like it, noting that Aman walks to school and would benefit from a smooth, comfortable ride with a battery-powered cycle. While the tone is appropriately informal and friendly, some ideas could be extended further to achieve a higher band. Overall, the bullet points are sufficiently addressed, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure typical of informal correspondence, beginning with a salutation and pleasantries before moving into the purpose of the message. However, paragraphing is not used effectively; the body of the letter is compressed into a single, dense paragraph that addresses multiple points together. Additionally, cohesive devices are sometimes faulty or repetitive, such as the excessive use of 'as you know' and run-on sentences connected by 'and' or 'that's why'. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of distinct paragraph breaks limits the overall readability and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the intended message to a friend. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'colour combination', 'sports and eco mode', and 'comfortable', but also demonstrates noticeable word-choice errors and unnatural phrasing, such as 'know you about that I'm selling' instead of 'let you know that I'm selling' and 'getting problem to park'. Spelling is generally accurate, but inaccuracies in collocation and lexical control prevent the response from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though many complex structures are overly long and run-on, connected by multiple conjunctions. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as 'I recently shifted to my new house and I have getting problem', 'their is only space', and 'you are looking for some bicycle from long time'. Punctuation is also weak, with missing commas and periods creating breathless, overly long sentences. However, despite these errors, the meaning remains clear and communication is rarely impeded.

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

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