Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-18

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 Cousin,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform you i will be coming at home in the evening at 6:00 PM. But I am very excited for you.

Here I would like to explain you. When you open main gate . The right side of the gate there is a small corner where i keep keys for the entrance in the house. In this way you can find the keys. Further more I did not locked any room because I know that you are coming and I will also return.

When you arrive at the station. There are many buses and autos you can hire. If you are comfortable with bus journey. Otherwise I can book taxi for you. Please let me know. Because i dont want you should face any discomfort.

I will coming at the home in the evening at 6:00 PM. But I can try to come before that also. Because I dont want you to be feel alone at home. When I will arrived at home we will do fun together, cook meal, gossip with each other. I hope you will enjoy with me. I am very excited for meeting you.

Yours lovingly,

Rajandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You successfully covered all three bullet points required in the task prompt. You explained the arrangements for the keys by mentioning they are kept in a small corner on the right side of the main gate. You also gave clear instructions on how to get from the station by mentioning buses, autos, or offering to book a taxi. Finally, you stated that you will be home at 6:00 PM and suggested activities to do together that evening, such as cooking a meal and gossiping. Although there are some minor mechanical errors and slightly unnatural phrasings throughout the letter, all parts of the task are adequately addressed and clearly communicated, which fully satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

Your letter is organised into appropriate paragraphs, each addressing a different part of the prompt, such as the keys, transportation, and evening plans. There is a clear overall progression of ideas from your arrival time to the house access, travel options, and finally evening activities. However, some cohesive devices and referencing are a bit faulty or mechanical, such as starting sentences with conjunctions like 'Because I dont want...' or using 'Further more I did not locked'. Paragraphing is sufficient, but the transitions between your thoughts could be smoother and more naturally linked. Overall, the logical arrangement is clear enough for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You used an adequate range of vocabulary for a general correspondence task, including words like 'excited', 'discomfort', and 'conversation topics'. However, there are noticeable lexical and word-choice errors, such as 'coming at home' instead of 'coming home', 'did not locked' instead of 'did not lock', and 'do fun together' instead of 'have fun together'. You attempted some less common vocabulary, but these errors in word formation and collocation indicate limitations in lexical control, placing your performance firmly at the Band 5.5 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('If you are comfortable with bus journey') and subordinate clauses. However, your writing contains frequent grammatical and punctuation errors that impact accuracy. Examples include capitalization issues ('i'), incorrect verb forms ('I will coming', 'When I will arrived'), missing articles ('a taxi'), and awkward punctuation breaks like 'When you open main gate . The right side of the gate...'. While communication is not severely impeded and your meaning remains clear, the high frequency of basic errors prevents you from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.0 the most accurate score for grammar.

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

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