Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-06

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 kuldeep ,Hope you are doing well long time no see i really remeber all the games we are playing during our childhood. My reason to send this letter about my bicycle.

I know you need a good bicycle and whenever we talk u always said that you want a same bicycle as mine. So here i am fullfill your wish by giving my bicycle to you. Because i am moving to another city for work reasons and its not possible for me to carry that much heavy stuff with me.

If i am talking about my cycle you already know some of the feature but for your kind information i will explain it more. I bought this bicycle just 6 month ago and its in a brand new condition. Cycle has 6 gear which we change as per the road condition.

Reason to giving you my bicycle its top edition and cool bike, abd its really suit on your personality.

Your friend

Deepa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that you are moving for work, describe the bicycle as six months old with six gears, and say your friend has previously wanted one like yours. These details make the offer relevant and understandable. However, some parts are less fully developed: the bicycle’s description is brief, and “top edition” does not clearly explain what makes it especially appealing. The reason your friend would like it is also asserted rather than supported beyond his earlier interest and its suitability for his personality. Add a few concrete details about its condition, style, or practical benefits, and make the offer and any price or arrangements clear to strengthen the letter’s purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The information follows a generally sensible order: you greet your friend, explain the move, describe the bicycle, and give a reason for offering it to him. The closing also suits an informal letter. However, the opening runs several ideas together, and the paragraph beginning “If i am talking about my cycle” shifts awkwardly from what your friend already knows to new details. The repeated use of “reason” to introduce points makes the links feel mechanical, while “So here i am” does not connect smoothly to the explanation of moving. Use clear paragraph breaks and linking phrases that show the relationship between ideas, and make references such as “it” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “bicycle,” “gear,” “road condition,” and “moving to another city,” so the main message can be understood. There are also attempts to use more descriptive language, such as “brand new condition” and “top edition,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural and make the description less precise. Phrases such as “fullfill your wish,” “cool bike,” and “suit on your personality” do not express the intended meaning naturally. Spelling and informal forms such as “remeber,” “u,” and “abd” also reduce accuracy. Build a more reliable range of everyday letter vocabulary and check spelling, word forms, and common collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The letter includes mostly simple statements and some attempts to combine ideas, for example, “Because i am moving to another city for work reasons and its not possible for me to carry…” However, sentence boundaries and punctuation are often unclear, especially in the opening, where the greeting and several clauses run together. There are also errors in verb forms and sentence construction, as in “whenever we talk u always said” and “Reason to giving you my bicycle.” Capitalisation and apostrophes are inconsistent, including “i” and “its.” These issues sometimes make the reader pause to interpret the message. Practise forming complete sentences with accurate tense and clause structure, then proofread punctuation and capital letters.

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

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