Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-27

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You let a friend stay at your apartment while you were away on a trip. When you returned home, you discovered that a valuable possession was broken.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• describe the broken possession.
• explain why it is important to you.
• explain what you would like your friend to do.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sam,

I am writing this letter to inform you about the incident happened last week when i was staying at your house. While you were on a business trip in London.

i would like to thank you for trusting me to give stay at your home. Last week when i was over there i was doing the basic cleaning in the evening. As i was cleaning the counter, Suddenly a spider came from nowhere and got sacred my hand stuck to your family picture which was made out of glass, it fell on the floor and all the glass got shattered. But, the picture remain perfectly fine.

I know the family picture is very close to you. As it hold the memory of your parents and you in a one frame. I am so sorry for your loss.

As i know it is my mistake, Please give me a chance to fix it. Recently i found a photographer who also fix the frame of the picture in a professional way. Please let know, when could i borrow the picture and make it as original.

Thanks for reading this letter.

Your faithful

vishal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: describing the broken item, explaining its importance, and suggesting a solution. However, there is a significant confusion in the narrative regarding who was staying at whose house. You state 'I am writing this letter to inform you about the incident happened last week when i was staying at your house,' but the prompt asks you to write to a friend who stayed at your apartment. This confusion impacts the clarity of the task response. To improve, ensure you carefully read the prompt's scenario before writing to maintain logical consistency.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical flow is hindered by the confusion mentioned above. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'As i know' and 'But', but they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that makes the sentences feel disjointed. The transition between the incident and the apology is abrupt. Using more varied linking words and ensuring that the sequence of events is clearly established would improve the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for a letter of this type, but it lacks precision. Phrases like 'got sacred my hand stuck' are unnatural and unclear. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'make it as original' instead of 'restore it to its original state'. While you attempt to use some descriptive language, the inaccuracies in collocation and word formation occasionally make it difficult for the reader to understand exactly what happened. Focusing on learning common collocations will help you express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb tenses ('incident happened'), sentence fragments ('While you were on a business trip in London'), and subject-verb agreement. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the capitalization of 'i' and the use of commas. While you attempt some complex structures, they often contain errors that impede the flow of the letter. To reach a higher band, you should focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like capitalization and tense consistency.

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

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