Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-13

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

It is ten years since you left college. You'd like to organise an event to celebrate this anniversary with all your friends and classmates from college.

Write a letter to one of your college friends. In your letter

• say what kind of celebration event you'd like to organise

• explain why you think it would be good to celebrate in this way

• describe what help you need to organise this event

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Ayo,

How are you doing? It's been ages since we last met, I believe all is going smoothly and peaceful. I am writing to inform you that there's an event coming up and I want you and other of our class mates to attend

I will be celebrating my sign out from the University of Benin at the lake house on 24th november, and I will be inviting other of our classmates to attend and celebrate with me. We can do this gathering in form of an high school reunion after 18years since we graduated.

Other the other hand, I believe alot of our classmates also schooled in Benin and some of them will probably have friends that are signing out similar day with me, I think it should be a good idea to celebrate the reunion on the same day.

Furthermore, I preparing for this event, I will like you to make provisons for music and also send pass this information to any of our colleagues that are close to you.

I hope to hear from you soon. Greet Tari and Josh

Best wishes,

Destiny

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify a reunion-style gathering and give a date and venue, so the reader can understand the basic plan. You also explain that classmates may be in Benin and have other graduation celebrations, and you ask Ayo to arrange music and pass on the information. However, the task is only partly addressed: the event is described as celebrating your “sign out” from university, while the prompt asks for a ten-year college anniversary, and the reference to “18years” creates further uncertainty. The reason for celebrating together is present but not clearly developed, and the help requested is limited. Make the anniversary purpose explicit, explain why this format would suit the group, and specify practical help such as contacting classmates or arranging the venue.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable opening, several body paragraphs, and a suitable closing, with ideas grouped broadly by topic. The reader can follow the move from the event plan to the reason and then to the request for help. However, progression is not always clear: the opening says an event is “coming up” without explaining the anniversary, and the shift from a university sign-out to a high-school reunion is confusing. Some linking phrases, including “Other the other hand” and “Furthermore,” are inaccurate or do not show the relationship between ideas clearly. Improve the sequence by stating the anniversary plan first, then giving a focused reason, and ending with specific requests. Clearer references to who is attending would also help.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the main plan and request, including “gathering,” “reunion,” “celebrate,” and “make provisions for music.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings are inaccurate, which makes parts of the letter less clear. For example, “sign out” does not clearly convey the intended graduation anniversary, “class mates” is usually written as one word, and “provisons” is misspelled. “Other the other hand” is also an incorrect phrase. Choose precise expressions for the occasion and use natural collocations for organising an event. Proofreading spelling and phrase choice would make your message more fluent and reliable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer constructions. Examples include “I believe all is going smoothly and peaceful,” “I preparing for this event,” and “I will like you to make…”; these contain problems with sentence structure, verb forms, or agreement. The sentence beginning “I will be celebrating…” also combines several ideas in a way that is difficult to follow. Punctuation is inconsistent, especially where full stops are needed between complete thoughts. Use a wider range of sentence patterns, but keep each sentence focused, and check verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries before sending the letter.

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

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