Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-26

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 4.0)

Dear John,

How are you? How are Melody and Emily? I hope everything is going well. I am writing this to let you know that I am planning to arrange college reunion!

Firstly, as you know it has been 10 years! since we got graduated and times fly bye

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5

The opening establishes a friendly relationship and introduces the general purpose: “I am planning to arrange college reunion.” However, the response stops before addressing the required details. It does not say what kind of event you want, why that format would be suitable, or what help you need from John. The brief reference to ten years since graduation is relevant, but the ideas are not developed into a complete letter. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, which leaves most of the task unanswered. To improve, explain a specific plan, give reasons for it, and make clear requests for your friend’s assistance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The greeting and opening questions create a suitable start for an informal letter, and “Firstly” signals an attempt to organise the message. The ideas are understandable in sequence: you greet John, explain why you are writing, and begin to refer to the anniversary. However, the response ends abruptly after “times fly bye,” so there is no progression through the event, reasons, or requested help. There is also no closing, and the single short paragraph does not separate the letter’s main points. Develop the message into clear paragraphs and use simple links such as “I suggest,” “This would be ideal because,” and “Could you help me by…” to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic situation, with relevant expressions such as “college reunion” and “10 years.” The friendly questions about John’s family also suit the informal context. However, the range is very limited because the response is so brief, and some wording is inaccurate or unnatural: “arrange college reunion” needs an article or a more natural verb phrase, while “times fly bye” appears to confuse “fly by” with “bye.” More precise event vocabulary would help you explain your plan, for example, “reunion dinner,” “venue,” “classmates,” and “organise.” Aim to use familiar words accurately and add vocabulary that expresses the event and the help you need.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses basic sentence forms that are generally understandable, including questions such as “How are Melody and Emily?” and the statement “I am writing this to let you know…” However, the range is narrow, and errors appear in the limited text. In “I am planning to arrange college reunion,” the noun phrase needs an article, such as “a college reunion.” The clause “as you know it has been 10 years” needs punctuation after the introductory phrase, and “since we got graduated” uses an incorrect verb construction; write “since we graduated.” The exclamation mark after “years” also interrupts the sentence. Practise combining accurate simple sentences with a few clear reason and request clauses.

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

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