Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-24

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 John,

I heard from my mother today that your comming in my home at sharp 7:30 am morning I was happy and exicted and happy to hear this news from my mom.

I am out of town early in morning due to urgent office work but I have made all arrangement for you stay in my room first you can get cab when come out from railway station fare is 50 cad dollars then you can get the key in my mail box the password to open the mail box lock is 2215 after getting the key you can easily came to my house I put the breakfast in the oven you can eat or you can order something online I came back in evening at 6:30 pm we can go out to eat dinner around 9 or 10 pm or we go for a movie together sorry for the inconvience you face from cousin brother

thank and regards,

Tony

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you explain that the key is in the mailbox and give its code, provide a taxi fare from the station, and say you will return at 6:30 p.m. with dinner or a movie as possible plans. These details make the message relevant and generally complete. However, some arrangements are not fully clear: “you can get cab when come out” does not specify whether this means taking a taxi directly to your house, and the route is limited to the fare rather than a clear destination or directions. The breakfast arrangement is useful, but “in the oven” may leave your relative unsure how to access or prepare it. Clarifying these practical details would make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The message follows a broadly sensible order, moving from the arrival and your absence to the key, food, and evening plans. The greeting and sign-off also suit a personal letter. However, nearly all the information is placed in one long paragraph and connected mainly with “and,” “but,” and “then,” so the reader has to work to separate the arrangements. Some references are unclear, particularly “then you can get the key” after the taxi fare, because the relationship between travelling to the house and collecting the key is not clearly signposted. Use separate paragraphs for arrival/key arrangements and evening plans, and add precise links such as “Once you reach the house” and “When I get home.” This would create clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the main arrangements, including “railway station,” “mail box,” “password,” “breakfast,” and “movie.” The tone is recognisably personal, and the practical details are generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “comming in my home,” “all arrangement,” “get cab,” and “inconvience.” “Fare is 50 cad dollars” is also an unnatural way to express the cost. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Build accuracy with common letter-writing phrases and check spelling, word forms, and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its main meaning, and you attempt to connect several ideas in longer sentences. However, sentence boundaries and basic grammatical patterns are not controlled consistently. For example, “I am out of town early in morning due to urgent office work but I have made all arrangement” needs clearer punctuation and article use; “when come out” is missing a subject and auxiliary, while “I came back in evening” uses a past form where a future form is needed. The final sentence also joins alternatives without a clear grammatical structure. Use shorter sentences where necessary, and practise articles, verb forms, and complete clauses. More accurate sentence construction would make the arrangements easier to follow.

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