Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-13
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 sara,
I hope you are doing well, It is my pleasure to coming and stay with me at my appartment. I am fully exited to meet you soon, when you will arriving there by safely. But I have a small problem about you picing . You will be arriving here by train in the morning But at that time , I am not available , This is because I am on duty until the evening. When you arrivied on station take a taxi and reached on our stop , the next step arrange a ricksha and reached our destination . I dropped my house key near my first door neighbour , Mr khan you know about him very well. Then unlock the door and have little rest , I have made lunch for you your favourite soupi noodles,Enjoy it tasty noodles, I came back in the evening then we will make fried rice enjoy with cold drinks ,We organised lot of fun and shoping togather. I hope you will spent happy vacations with me , I am waiting for you.
Kind regards,
Zahida
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You cover all three requested points: you explain that the key is with your neighbour, give travel directions from the station, and say you will return in the evening and make dinner together. These details make the letter relevant and its purpose clear. The arrangements are not equally clear, however: “take a taxi and reached on our stop” followed by “arrange a ricksha” leaves the route and transport sequence uncertain. The evening plan is more specific, with fried rice and cold drinks, while the key arrangement could explain exactly how your relative should contact or identify Mr Khan. This addresses the task well overall, but clearer practical details and fuller development of the directions would make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The letter follows a broadly sensible order: greeting and welcome, arrival arrangements, access to the house, and plans for the evening. This helps the reader locate the main information. However, most of the content is packed into one long paragraph, and several ideas run together, as in “I came back in the evening then we will make fried rice enjoy with cold drinks.” The repeated use of “then” and “and” also makes the progression feel mechanical, while punctuation does not consistently mark where one instruction ends and another begins. Separate the arrival, key, and evening details into short paragraphs, and use clearer links such as “Once you reach the station” and “After you have settled in” to guide the reader.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the main arrangements, including “train,” “taxi,” “neighbour,” “lunch,” and “fried rice.” The friendly tone is also appropriate for a letter to a relative. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are noticeably inaccurate, which can make details harder to understand. For example, “our stop” is unclear as a description of a place, and “I am fully exited” does not express the intended feeling. There are also spelling errors such as “appartment,” “picing,” and “shoping.” Aim for more precise travel and household vocabulary, and check spelling and natural word combinations before finishing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt to connect ideas and give instructions, but the range of sentence structures is limited and errors often make the reader pause. Verb forms are a particular difficulty: “It is my pleasure to coming,” “when you will arriving,” and “I came back in the evening then we will make” do not use the forms needed for these meanings. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation, especially where several clauses are joined in one run-on sentence. Practise accurate simple future and imperative forms, for example, “When you arrive, take a taxi,” and separate complete ideas with full stops. More reliable control of these basic patterns will make your message easier to follow.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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