Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-14

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 dear,

Hope you are doing well, I am really happy that you are coming to stay with me, but am apologise that I will not be at home in the morning time i will come back at evening. I am want to inform you that i make all the arrangements for you so that you can not face any difficulty while reaching home.

I leave the house key to my next door and also i arrange a taxi for you, which will help you for pickup from the railway station. After reaching home you can lock the main door and take some rest

I am so excited to see you in the evening. We will spend time with each other while having the dinner and by watching tv.

Best wishes.

Mohandeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all three bullet points: key arrangements, directions, and evening plans. However, the letter is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The instructions are addressed, but the content is quite brief and lacks the necessary detail to fully satisfy the task requirements. For instance, the directions from the station to the house are vague, and the evening plans are mentioned only in passing. To improve, you should expand on each point with more descriptive language and specific details to ensure the response is sufficiently developed and meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical sequence, moving from the arrival situation to the arrangements and finally the evening plans. Paragraphing is present, though the structure is quite basic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'After reaching home' and 'also', but they are somewhat repetitive and mechanical. The flow between sentences is generally clear, but the overall organization would benefit from more sophisticated linking words to connect ideas more fluidly. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member, maintaining a consistent, friendly register throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite limited and basic. Phrases like 'I am want to inform you' and 'I leave the house key' show a lack of control over tense and collocation. There is little attempt to use less common or more precise vocabulary. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more varied and natural expressions, such as 'I have made arrangements' instead of 'I make all the arrangements' and 'pick you up' rather than 'help you for pickup'. Expanding your range of synonyms and collocations will significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with verb tenses and sentence construction. Examples include 'am apologise' instead of 'I apologize', 'I am want' instead of 'I want', and 'I leave the house key' instead of 'I have left the house key'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of structures is limited to simple sentences. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of sentence structures, including complex sentences, and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage.

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

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