Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-21
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 Ishant,
I am writing to express my appolizise because i will be not coming to pick you up from station. The reasen behind this i got a call to attend an urgent metting in amritsar so i will be coming home in evening.
I have done all the necessary arrangements for you get keys. I will be dropping my door key, next to my neighbours house no 697. I hop you dont mind to get from them. Upon your arrival take key from Mr Lean and enter in home. I am going to bake
cake for you which will be placed in fridge. fridge.
I forgot to tell you about, after arriving at randy station book the cab and come out from subway exits route one that area for passenger pickup.
when i will furthermore, when i will be arriving home we wirl go to restaurant for dinner so be ready by 7P.M. I know your will taking take so much time to dwell dup.
Looking forward to metting you
Yours lovely,
Priya
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explain the key arrangements, provide directions from the station, and suggest an evening activity. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited by the language errors. For instance, the instructions regarding the keys and the directions from the station are slightly confusing due to grammatical slips. While the task is fully addressed, the clarity of the information provided could be improved to ensure the reader understands the instructions perfectly. Overall, the response is relevant and fulfills the requirements of a General Training Task 1 letter.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter follows a logical structure, beginning with an apology and moving through the required points before closing. Paragraphing is attempted, though the breaks are somewhat erratic, such as the sentence about the cake being separated from the rest of the paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as 'when i will furthermore, when i will be'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of information smoothly. Improving the use of transition words and ensuring consistent paragraph structure would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for a personal letter, but there are frequent spelling errors such as 'appolizise', 'reasen', 'metting', and 'wirl'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. You use some functional vocabulary, but there is a lack of variety and precision. For example, 'dwell dup' is unclear and likely a misspelling of 'get dressed up'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accurate spelling and using more natural collocations appropriate for an informal letter to a family member.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. Frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and word order—such as 'i will be not coming' and 'I know your will taking take so much time'—impede the flow of the text. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing capital letters and erratic sentence boundaries. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of grammatical errors means that the writing does not consistently demonstrate good control of basic structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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