Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-18

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 5.0)

Dear Naaz,

I hope your doing well.i just discovered some unexpected things at home. The crucial thing is I am amazed how the valuable possession was broken. However before going to the trip I knew all the things were in good condition were as now some of the most vital things are damaged like my crokery, flower vase and many more things. The things I have disscribes earlier was very crucial for me there the asthetic items which were expensive. Nevertheless I want you to replace the damaged valuable possession before this week ends. I was shocked by seeing the damaged valuable possession, where I wasn't accepting that this will also can happen , it was really unbelievable and unacceptable.

Lastly I request you to respond me asap. So that we can discuss and replace the vital items which are broken. I hope you will help in this to recover the times asap

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The writer attempts to cover all bullet points required by the prompt. They mention that a valuable possession (along with crockery and a flower vase) was broken, touch upon why it is important by describing them as aesthetic and expensive items, and state what they would like the friend to do by asking them to replace the damaged item before the end of the week. However, the tone is overly confrontational and abrasive for a semi-formal or informal letter to a friend, which impacts the communicative purpose. Some ideas, such as the exact nature of the single main valuable possession, are slightly muddled by the inclusion of multiple other items like crockery and flower vases. Overall, the task is addressed, but the development and tone fall into the Band 5 to 6 range, warranting a Band 5.5 score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks appropriate paragraphing, being presented in two dense blocks of text that do not clearly separate the different points of the letter. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, such as 'However before going to the trip', 'were as now', and 'Nevertheless'. The transitions between sentences can feel jarring, and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'The things I have disscribes earlier was very crucial for me there the asthetic items'. Although there is a chronological progression from discovering the damage to demanding a replacement and requesting a quick response, the mechanical and faulty use of cohesion and the poor paragraph structure place this response firmly in the Band 5 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, featuring frequent spelling and word-choice errors that occasionally impede smooth reading. Examples of spelling and lexical inaccuracies include 'crokery' instead of crockery, 'disscribes' instead of described, and 'asthetic' instead of aesthetic. The writer also uses awkward phrasing such as 'recovering the times' instead of 'recovering the costs' or 'replacing the items'. While there is a modest attempt to use less common vocabulary like 'crucial', 'unexpected', and 'unacceptable', the high frequency of basic errors in spelling and collocation keeps the Lexical Resource score at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The text contains a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly strung-together compound sentences. There are frequent and intrusive grammatical errors throughout the response, such as 'I hope your doing well' (your instead of you're), 'i just discovered' (lowercase 'i'), 'were as now' (whereas now), 'where I wasn't accepting that this will also can happen', and 'I request you to respond me asap'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing apostrophes and run-on sentences. Because complex sentences are attempted but frequently faulty, and errors cause some difficulty for the reader, this performance aligns with Band 5.0.

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

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