Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-12

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 ocap

hello friend i hope you doing okay. i want you to know last time you visited my apartment my ps5 is broken. before i leave my apartment the playstation 5 is not broken because i played some games before you visit. this playstation 5 is so important to me because this is a anniversary gift of my wife to me. if she know what happen to my playstation 5 she is mad at me because i let you to use my personal belongings. i want you to apologize to my wife and explain what happened. for me this is not a big deal because this is a material things only. but this gift is come from my wife. she save money to buy that for me. i do not want to invalidate her feelings because of it. so please make a letter to her. and apologies thank you a lot

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify the broken possession as your PS5, explain that it was an anniversary gift from your wife, and ask your friend to apologise and explain what happened to her. The personal detail that she saved money to buy it helps show why it matters. However, the request is not fully clear: you ask your friend to write a letter and apologise, but do not say whether you expect them to repair or replace the console, or how they should handle the damage. The explanation of why the gift matters is more developed than the description of the breakage. Clarifying what happened and making your preferred action explicit would make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The ideas follow a generally understandable order: you introduce the PS5, explain its significance, and then make a request. Basic links such as “because,” “but,” and “so” help connect points. However, the response is presented as one continuous block, and the progression becomes difficult to follow around “if she know what happen” and “for me this is not a big deal.” The contrast between the damage being unimportant materially and the gift being emotionally important is useful, but it needs clearer signposting. Use separate paragraphs for the problem, its importance, and your request, and make references such as “this gift” and “it” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “anniversary gift,” “personal belongings,” “save money,” and “feelings.” These details make the letter personal and help explain the emotional value of the PS5. However, the range is limited and several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “my playstation 5 is broken” when describing the discovery, “this is a material things,” and “make a letter to her.” The repeated use of “important,” “gift,” and “broken” also limits variety. Choose more precise expressions for the damage and the requested apology, and check word forms and collocations so your meaning sounds natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences to explain cause and contrast, for example, “if she know what happen to my playstation 5 she is mad at me because i let you to use my personal belongings.” This shows an effort to connect ideas, and the main message is usually understandable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries occur in several places: “i hope you doing okay,” “my ps5 is broken” after “last time you visited,” and “she save money.” Most sentences also follow a simple pattern, so the range is limited. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and conditional forms, and use full stops and capital letters to separate complete sentences.

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

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