Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-06
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)
Hi Wilson ,
Hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you that it's very exciting news for me that you are coming to stay with me. But unfortunately, I will not be present at home until the evening.
You need not to worry about it as I have already arranged some special protocols for you. The spare key of house is given to neighbour Ali. Who lives next to my house at 151 sapphire block park view villas lahore. He will be expecting you once you will arrived.
When you will arrived at train station no 9 . Take the speedo bus no 22 and it will reached at walking distance of five minutes from my home. Alternatively you can have a taxi.
When you reached home consider it yours and I will immediately complete my all day tasks to reach home at evening.We will dine together some Pakistani cousine.
Waiting eagerly,
Shagufta
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining the key arrangements, providing directions from the station, and suggesting evening plans. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the directions are a bit vague, and the explanation of the key protocol could be more naturally phrased. To reach a higher band, ensure that the information provided is detailed enough to be truly helpful to the recipient, such as clarifying the exact location of the neighbor's house or providing more specific details about the evening plans.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Alternatively' and 'When you reached home'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are issues with referencing and logical progression. For instance, the transition between the key arrangement and the directions is abrupt. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences connect more fluidly to create a more natural, cohesive narrative throughout the letter.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'protocols', 'neighbour', and 'cuisine'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'present at home' instead of 'at home' or 'complete my all day tasks' instead of 'finish my daily tasks'. Additionally, 'cousine' is misspelled. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and ensure you are using words in the correct context. Expanding your vocabulary to include more descriptive phrases would also enhance the quality of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include tense errors, such as 'once you will arrived' (should be 'once you arrive') and 'it will reached' (should be 'it will reach'). There are also errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'at train station' (should be 'at the train station'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy of your writing. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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