Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-20

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 Alex,

I write a letter to you, to tell you, what I discovered in may apartment. When I allow you, to stay in my apartment you know that everything ok. But when I comeback something is wrong.

The staff that is verry importanr to me was broken, I already Inform you that the possession is so Important to me. That is the valuable things that my dad give it to me. And he ask me that I will take care of it.

That is so Important to me, Because thats my first birthday to my dad, and he said thats also a birthday gift from his dad. So that staff is part of our traditions, that the caring of that things. are given to me.

What I would like, you to do is go to may dad. Ask an apologies first, and then ask him if theres a chance that we can fixed that Item. Regardlesslooking forward for your

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three main points: you say an important possession was broken, explain its connection to your father and family tradition, and ask Alex to apologise and help find out whether it can be repaired. These details make the letter relevant and give the reader some understanding of why the item matters. However, the possession itself is never identified, and the explanation of its history is difficult to follow—for example, “my first birthday to my dad” does not make the relationship clear. Your request is also incomplete because the letter ends before you finish what you want Alex to do. Develop these details more clearly and complete the closing request so every part of the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a basic overall structure: it opens by explaining the discovery, gives reasons the possession matters, and then turns to what you want Alex to do. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow, particularly in “That is so Important to me, Because thats my first birthday to my dad,” where the connection between the ideas is unclear. Repeated references such as “that staff” and “that things” also make it hard to identify the item. The final sentence is unfinished, so the reader does not get a clear ending. Use simpler, more direct links between ideas and check that each paragraph develops one clear point.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “valuable,” “possession,” “traditions,” “apologies,” and “fixed.” However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or repeated expressions make the message hard to understand. “Staff” is used where you mean an object or possession, and “that things” does not clearly identify the item. Spelling and word-form errors such as “verry,” “importanr,” and “apologies” also reduce clarity. Aim for precise, natural phrases that describe the object and its significance, and proofread spelling. For example, naming the item directly would be clearer than repeatedly referring to it as “that staff.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect ideas using clauses, as in “When I allow you, to stay in my apartment,” and “he ask me that I will take care of it.” However, sentence structures are limited and many attempts at longer sentences are faulty, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to recover. Verb forms and tense are inconsistent: “I write” and “when I comeback” do not fit the past events being described, while “my dad give it to me” needs a past-tense form. There are also problems with articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation, such as the comma after “you” in the opening. Practise accurate past-tense sentences first, then combine them with clear clauses.

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

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