Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 Friend,

I am writing to express my keen interest in a meetup, it's been a years since we have met. So, I decided to arrange some get together or a meetup party in order to celebrate the graduation anniversary. I have made some plans and arrangement to make this party memorable. I will be very happy if you would join me in these arrangements. I have invited all the friends and classmates and they promised me to join this party. One thing that I decided is the theme of party that would be yellow in colour with the contrast of black and same would be the outfit theme for the attenders as well.

You are responsible to arrange the outdoor venue and its decorations according to the decided theme. I think it would be good to celebrate in this way. If you have some other suggestions then let me know about it. I would feel happy to hear from you.

Thanks for your time.

Yours Truly,

David

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt only partially, placing it at the lower band level. While all three bullet points from the instructions are mentioned, the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For example, the mention of the celebration event focuses narrowly on a yellow and black theme and outfit choice without elaborating on the nature of the activities. Furthermore, the request for help focuses exclusively on the outdoor venue and decorations, lacking sufficient detail to fully develop the task. The tone is appropriate for an informal letter to a friend, but the overall coverage of the bullet points lacks extension and thoroughness, reflecting a partially addressed prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter demonstrates some overall organisation, but it lacks a clear progression of ideas throughout. The response is divided into paragraphs, yet the sequencing of thoughts feels somewhat abrupt, jumping from the purpose of the meetup directly into the theme and then immediately to requesting help without smooth transitions. Cohesive devices are used sparingly and are occasionally repetitive or mechanical, such as the frequent reliance on simple connectors like 'and' or repetitive phrasing such as 'I think it would be good' and 'I would feel happy'. Referencing is generally functional, but the structural flow between sentences needs greater control and connection to achieve a higher level of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message. The writer attempts some less common expressions, such as 'graduation anniversary' and 'keen interest', but these include noticeable awkwardness in word choice and collocation, such as 'express my keen interest in a meetup'. There are also minor lexical slips and unnatural phrasing like 'for the attenders as well' instead of attendees. While the vocabulary choice is sufficient to make the general meaning clear, these recurring inaccuracies and restricted range prevent the writing from achieving a higher lexical band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and straightforward coordination. Attempts at more complex structures or longer clauses often result in faulty patterns, such as the tense and article errors in 'it's been a years since we have met' and the comma splice in 'the theme of party that would be yellow in colour with the contrast of black and same would be the outfit theme'. There are frequent errors in prepositions, plurals, and article usage throughout the text that cause occasional difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control over grammatical accuracy.

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

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