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 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 Maryam,

I Hope so you are doing well. Actually i just came back from the office and i take a nap. i go to upstairs and i saw my laptop on the floor i get so nervous and angry at the moment. when i picked it up i saw i open my laptop and screen was broken into little pieces which so disturbing and bad for me. You better know i just started working with a new company and tomorrow will be my first day and i need my laptop as soon as possible because i cannot do anything without my laptop it is important thing for me right now. Now i want you to come here with your laptop and car i will borrow your laptop until mine get fixed.Moreover, come as soon as possible in the evening time today i know you are busy in your university project but you can wait and i do not have another option for this. Reply me as soon as possible. Take care.

Your's Faithfully,

X.Y.Z

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate addresses all three bullet points required by the task prompt. First, the broken possession is described as a laptop whose screen was "broken into little pieces". Second, the importance of the item is clearly explained by stating that tomorrow is the candidate's first day at a new company and the laptop is essential for work. Third, the desired action from the friend is explicitly stated: the candidate wants the friend to bring their own laptop and car this evening so the candidate can borrow the laptop until theirs is repaired. The tone is somewhat informal and direct, which fits the context of writing to a friend, though the demands are expressed rather abruptly. All parts of the task are adequately covered, earning a solid band score for task fulfillment.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks proper paragraphing and is presented as a single block of text, which significantly reduces the clarity of organisation and progression. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying heavily on run-on sentences and conjunctions such as "and" and "because" rather than effective linking phrases. While the overall narrative of discovering the damage and demanding a solution is understandable, the referencing is occasionally clunky, for example jumping abruptly between the discovery of the broken laptop and the demand for a replacement car and computer without transitional breathing room. The sign-off "Your's Faithfully" is also inappropriate for a letter to a friend, where "Yours sincerely" or a friendly sign-off should be used.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, with words like "laptop", "come", and "soon as possible" appearing multiple times within a very short space. There are instances of unnatural phrasing, such as "I Hope so you are doing well" instead of "I hope you are doing well", and "take a nap" used out of tense sequence. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are minimal, and word choices occasionally strain comprehension or sound overly demanding. However, the lexical range is sufficient to communicate the core message about the broken item and the urgent need for a replacement, meeting the minimum threshold for adequacy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The text contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, particularly run-on sentences and comma splices, such as "Actually i just came back from the office and i take a nap. i go to upstairs and i saw my laptop..." There are frequent tense inconsistencies (mixing past and present) and a complete lack of proper capitalization for the pronoun "I" and the start of sentences. Complex structures are rare and often clumsy, and punctuation is largely neglected throughout. These errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and impede the flow of communication, restricting the score to this band level.

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

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