Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-17

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 harsh,

I am writing a letter about my bicycle that i want to sell to you.

Actually, i have a hero bicycle which i would like to give you at good price. First thing is that, i am to far from my house because im living now in mumbai and my bicycle is at my home and it totally useless no one using it. Although, Im little confusing about if I do not sell it its body parts will damage and i can not imagine it.

My bicycle is unique and also a gears on it which is good for you and you don't need to do more power to use it. Infact, my bicycle have red colour on upperside and black on downside so its red and black combination.

Literally, I wish you can buy this bicycle for your health and fitness because you are a lazy and fatty person so god promise it is best option for you and also a worth it.

yours faithfully

Ekamjeet Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the task. The student explains why the bicycle is no longer in use, noting that they have moved to Mumbai and the bicycle is sitting idle at home. The bicycle is described in terms of its brand (Hero), colour combination (red and black), and features like having gears. Finally, the student explains why the friend would like it, mentioning that it would be beneficial for health and fitness. All parts of the prompt are addressed appropriately, adopting a suitably informal, friendly tone suitable for a letter to an acquaintance, although the reference to the friend as 'fatty' is slightly inappropriate for a standard friendly register. Overall, the task purpose is clearly fulfilled.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter uses some basic cohesive devices such as 'First thing is that', 'Although', and 'Infact', though some of these are used inaccurately or unnaturally. Paragraphing is attempted, but the letter is divided into very short, somewhat disjointed single-sentence paragraphs that hinder the natural flow of ideas. Progression is occasionally abrupt, moving suddenly from location details to physical description and then to health remarks. While the overall arrangement allows the reader to follow the main points, referencing is sometimes unclear, and the mechanical overuse of certain transition phrases keeps the cohesion at a moderate level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate vocabulary range to communicate basic ideas, including terms like 'unique', 'gears', and 'fitness'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors throughout the response, such as 'i am to far' (too far), 'totally useless no one using it', 'little confusing' (confused), 'do not do more power' (use less effort), and 'worth it' used as an adjective. Informal and inappropriate descriptors like 'lazy and fatty person' also detract from the lexical quality. Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary limitations and awkward phrasing occasionally restrict precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising conjunctions like 'because', 'although', and 'if'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including missing capitalisation ('dear harsh', 'i', 'mumbai'), missing verbs ('bicycle have red colour', 'no one using it'), incorrect prepositions ('at good price'), and tense confusion. Punctuation is also problematic, with comma splices and run-on sentences ('Although, Im little confusing about if I do not sell it its body parts will damage and i can not imagine it'). These errors frequently cause strain for the reader.

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

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