Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-19

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 Mikee

i have a bicycle that i no longer use in quite some times because i have another hobby that i actually didn't expect to love that i left my hobby on riding my beloved bicycle .

I love my bicycle because weve been through a lot of experience together for atleast a couple of years it has already a sentimental value for me aside from it is expensove it takes a lot of my sadness .

I think you would love this one because i know you love riding going places with your other fruends this may help you a lot cause a lot of enjoyment and it will also help you discover a lot of friends nearby that you havent seen before im glad to have this bicycle i know for sure you will fall in love also having fun with this kind of habit it takes away a lot of stresses inside you and even have good partner in exercise i know this may help because it helps me and take me out from anxiety and whatsoever bad things happen everytime i had a bad day take care of this thats when how you take care of yourself thank you my friend

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You address the main situation and give reasons your friend might enjoy the bicycle, especially because they like riding and visiting places. However, the task is only partially fulfilled: you do not clearly describe the bicycle itself—its appearance, condition, type, or features—and the reason you stopped using it is confusing. The phrase “another hobby that i actually didn't expect to love” gives a possible explanation, but the relationship between this hobby and no longer riding is not clearly expressed. Your ideas about the bicycle’s sentimental value and helping with stress are relevant, but they are repeated rather than developed with specific details. Add a clear description and explain each point directly to make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: you explain that you no longer ride, mention your attachment to the bicycle, and then give reasons Mikee might like it. This provides some organisation, and phrases such as “I think you would love this one” help signal the purpose of the next section. However, the ideas are crowded into a few very long sentences, with little punctuation or paragraphing, so the reader has to work to identify where one point ends and another begins. The repeated references to enjoyment, stress, and helping you feel better also weaken progression. Separate the reasons into short paragraphs and use clear links such as “First” and “Also” only where they genuinely clarify the sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the personal topic, including “sentimental value,” “hobby,” “exercise,” and “anxiety.” These choices help communicate your feelings and the possible benefits of cycling. However, the range is limited and several spelling or word-choice errors make parts difficult to understand, such as “expensove,” “fruends,” and “takes a lot of my sadness.” Some expressions are also unnatural or unclear, including “good partner in exercise” and “take me out from anxiety.” Choose more precise phrases and check spelling; for example, explain that cycling “helps me cope with stress” rather than using an unclear expression. A few specific words describing the bicycle would also make the letter more informative.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas using clauses and reasons, as in “because i know you love riding,” but the response relies heavily on long, loosely joined sentences. Frequent problems with sentence boundaries, verb forms, and agreement sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “weve been through a lot of experience together” needs a clearer construction, while “it helps me and take me out” does not maintain consistent verb forms. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, including the lowercase “i” and the absence of clear sentence endings. Practise writing shorter complete sentences first, then combine related ideas with accurate conjunctions. This will make your message easier to read while allowing you to show a wider range of structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.