Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-11
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening.
explain arrangements you have made for them to have keys and get into the house
tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house
say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear Rahul,
How are you? I hope that you'r well. I'm letting you know that I've made arragnments for staying at my home.
I'd appreciate it, if you'd give more burden on your arrival in order to get a key of my house from a coffe shop, which is next besides the railway parking entrance.
Futhermore, in order to reach my home, you need to get a metro, which 500 meters from the railway station. After reaching, my home's nearby station, you need to take help of google map, in which you walk on only pedestrian.
It's been long while since we met aroung couple of years ago. Hence, I have oraganised a small dinner with friends in order to spend time with you delightfully. You'll get a chance to experience traquil environment of my home as it is situated in the small village.
I'll wait to see you soon. Let me know if you need any special adjustment to stay.
Best Regards,
Vishakha
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The letter is relevant and attempts to cover all three requested points: it mentions collecting a key, travelling from the station, and meeting for dinner. However, the practical arrangements are not sufficiently clear or complete, which limits how fully the task is addressed. For example, “a key of my house from a coffe shop” does not identify the shop or explain how Rahul should obtain the key, and the route instructions (“get a metro” and then use Google Maps) lack a clear destination or landmarks. You do say you have organised dinner with friends, but you do not state when you will be home; this is an important omission. Give precise instructions and explicitly say your arrival time before suggesting the evening plan.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The letter has a recognisable sequence: an opening, paragraphs about the key and route, then the evening plan and a closing. This makes the main topics identifiable. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “Hence” also show an attempt to connect ideas. However, some connections feel mechanical or do not express the relationship clearly: “Hence” does not naturally link the time since you last met to organising dinner, and the route sentence is difficult to follow because the steps are compressed together. The paragraphing could also separate the practical arrival instructions from the evening arrangements more clearly. Use a simple step-by-step order for the journey and connect each idea with precise, natural transitions.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some vocabulary suited to a personal letter, including “arrangements,” “pedestrian,” “tranquil environment,” and “special adjustment.” These attempts show a willingness to use more than basic everyday words. However, several spelling errors and unnatural word combinations reduce precision, such as “arragnments,” “coffe shop,” “give more burden,” and “my home's nearby station.” “Experience tranquil environment” is also an awkward collocation in this context. Choose familiar, accurate phrases when giving practical directions, and check spelling carefully. For example, “collect the key from a café” is clearer than the current wording, while “the nearest station to my home” expresses the location more naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The letter includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, such as “It's been long while since we met…” and “You'll get a chance… as it is situated…”. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur in several places. For instance, “I'd appreciate it, if…” has an unnecessary comma, and “which 500 meters from the railway station” is missing a verb. The sentence beginning “After reaching, my home's nearby station” also has an unclear grammatical structure, while “It's been long while” needs an article. Work on complete clauses, articles, and punctuation around subordinate clauses. Clearer, shorter sentences would help make the instructions accurate and easy to follow.
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