Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-18

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 5.5)

Dear John,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to discuss some issue. Last month, when I was away on a trip I allow you to stay at my apartment. While, I was away you managed everthing very well. I really appericiate for the help.

Unfortunately, when I returned home, I noticed that my valuble vass was broken. it was so important to me, because it was gifted from my great grand mother on my 18th birthday. I was disappointed to see a broken vass when I returned home. it was so valuble possesion for me.

However, we cant changed anything which already happened in past. but now i was things to bring some stuff to repair that damange. I thought that the damage was not big. we will able to repair that damage together. I hope you understand my emotion regarding that vass.

Thank you for your undestanding.

Your Sincerly,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main situation and include all three requested points: the possession is a vase, it was a gift from your great-grandmother for your 18th birthday, and you ask your friend to help repair it. These details make the reason for its importance clear. However, the request is not fully clear: “I was things to bring some stuff to repair” does not specify what you want John to do or bring. The description of the damage is also limited, and the letter’s purpose is introduced vaguely as “some issue.” Make the request direct and specific—for example, ask John to help arrange or pay for a repair—and develop what happened to the vase a little further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, moving from a greeting and background to the broken vase, its significance, and a proposed response. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and expressions such as “Unfortunately” and “However” signal changes in direction. At times, though, the progression is weakened by unclear links and repeated points: the vase is described as important and valuable several times, while the repair request is difficult to follow. “However” also does not clearly connect the past event to the action you want now. Use clearer sequencing and refer to the object consistently, then state the requested action in a separate, direct sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “gifted,” “disappointed,” “valuable possession,” and “repair,” so the reader can understand the general message. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make the letter less clear, such as “vass,” “appericiate,” “everthing,” and “damange.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “I appreciate for the help” and “bring some stuff to repair.” Choose precise words for the object and the repair, and check spelling carefully. More natural expressions such as “I really appreciate your help” and “take the vase to be repaired” would make the message clearer and more appropriate for a personal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer clauses, for example, “it was so important to me, because it was gifted from my great grand mother on my 18th birthday.” This shows an effort to explain and give a reason. However, errors in verb forms, sentence construction, and punctuation occur often enough to make some sentences difficult to understand. Examples include “I allow you to stay,” “we cant changed anything,” and “now i was things to bring.” There are also inconsistent capital letters after full stops and missing apostrophes. Practise accurate past-tense forms and build the request with a clear subject and verb, such as “I would like you to help me arrange a repair.”

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

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