Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-08

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 Araman,

I hope your doing well. I wish you had everything good at home in my absence sorry for that we couldn’t met. However I want to inform you that the broken class cow was gifted by my grandfather.

It is so important to me since he died, I kept it in core of my heart. When, I came back from trip and saw it my heart was crying aling with my eys. Although my parents give me some strength but still I am writing this letter with heavy heart.

I want you to pay attention next time to not to touch any personal belongings in others home. Your my good friend. Araman and its my humble request to you to don’t borrow another for me because those connections i had hmwith this gift no other can give me that.

See you. Thanks for your understanding.

Yours lovingly

Prabh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the broken item (a glass cow), its sentimental value (a gift from a grandfather), and the request for the friend to be more careful. However, the tone is somewhat inconsistent and the expression of ideas is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'I wish you had everything good at home'. While the task is fulfilled, the development of ideas lacks the sophistication required for a higher band. The emotional weight of the situation is conveyed, but the request for the friend's future behavior could be more clearly articulated to ensure the message is received as intended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as the transition 'However I want to inform you'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the pronoun usage makes the request slightly confusing. The progression of ideas is logical enough to be understood, but the lack of varied linking words and the somewhat disjointed sentence structure prevent a higher score. Improving the flow between sentences would significantly enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'class cow' (likely meaning glass cow), 'aling' (along), and 'eys' (eyes). Phrases like 'in core of my heart' and 'my heart was crying' are somewhat unnatural in English. While the student attempts to convey emotion, the limited range of vocabulary and the frequency of errors in basic word choice mean the lexical resource is restricted to a level that just meets the requirements for a 5.5 or 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'I hope your doing well' (you're), 'couldn’t met' (couldn't meet), 'parents give me' (gave), and 'to not to touch'. These errors are persistent and sometimes impede the clarity of the message. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical mistakes—particularly with verb tenses and auxiliary verbs—prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage is needed.

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

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