Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 Ali,

How are you? I hope you are doing well. I'm writing to invite you to the 10th anniversary event which will be held in my palace on next Thuresday 2 pm.

First of all, I'm planning to organise a very big music event to celebrate in our 10th anniversary. I will invite Taylor Swift and many popular celebrities just to make this event enjoyable and to create lively vibe.

I'll make this reunion event memorable so we can enjoy our time together like what we did during our college days.

I need your help to invite all our classmates because I wasn't in touch with most of them during the past years. Also, I would appreciate it if you could bring with you soft drinks and cakes because I'm busy with arranging invitation with celebrities. It would be great if you attend before 4 hours.

Let me know wehn you will attend.

Best wishes,

Ahmed Ali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three bullet points: you propose a music event, explain that it would recreate the enjoyment of college days, and ask Ali to contact classmates and bring refreshments. The purpose is clear, but some ideas are only partly developed. For example, inviting Taylor Swift and other celebrities is presented as a plan without explaining how this would be feasible, while the reason for choosing a large music event is less specific than the general wish to make the reunion memorable. The request for Ali to arrive “before 4 hours” is also unclear. Add practical details about the event and explain more directly why this format suits your group; make each request precise so the reader knows what to do.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for the event and requests, and an appropriate closing. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all” and “Also” help show how the ideas relate. However, progression is somewhat mechanical, and the paragraph about making the reunion memorable repeats the event’s purpose rather than developing the plan. Some connections are unclear: the invitation details appear before the event is explained, and “Let me know wehn you will attend” does not clearly connect to the earlier request to arrive early. Organise the letter around the event plan, its benefits, and the specific help needed, using clearer links and references between these points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “anniversary event,” “reunion,” “celebrities,” and “memorable.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “create lively vibe.” However, several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “in my palace,” “in our 10th anniversary,” and “arranging invitation with celebrities.” The spelling slips “Thuresday” and “wehn” are noticeable, and “soft drinks and cakes” could be expressed more naturally as refreshments. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, but they limit precision. Focus on common collocations for invitations, celebrations, and organising an event, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex forms, including the conditional request “I would appreciate it if you could bring…” and the purpose clause “so we can enjoy our time together.” Most of the message remains understandable, and errors rarely obstruct the main meaning. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however: “on next Thuresday 2 pm” needs articles and a preposition, while “celebrate in our 10th anniversary” uses the wrong preposition. The phrase “like what we did” is also awkwardly formed, and “Let me know wehn you will attend” would be more natural as an indirect question. Review articles, prepositions, and indirect-question word order, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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