Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-08
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The younger sister of one of your friends is thinking about spending a year studying abroad as part of her university course. You did this recently, and she has asked you about your experience.
Write a letter to your friend's sister. In your letter
tell her where you studied during your year abroad
describe what you learnt about the country you studied in
explain why your year abroad was helpful for your studies
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear........,
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Dear Aqsa,
It is lovely to hear from you. You asked for some advice about abroad studies. So I thought I would share some suggestions with you.
As you are planning to go UK for higher studies and recently, I came back from England after finishing my master's degree from well-known universty.
First of all, I would recommend to decide which university you will select because advance planing is very important otherwise you can face difficulties. Secondly, you could also search accomdation near your campus it will be helpful to save time.Moreover, I was in England for two years and my planing helped me a lot to adjust there.Finally, one thing I learnt during my stay there was punctuality is an essential part for success. The people are very professional and helpful so staying there was not much problematic for me.
From my experience, I can suggest you some places for part time job, as it will help you in financial independence.
I hope these ideas are helpful. Let me know what you decide, and please write back when you have some news.
Yours sincerely,
Khan
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The letter is recognisably addressed to your friend’s sister and gives some relevant personal information: you say you studied in England and mention learning about punctuality and professional, helpful people. However, the response only minimally fulfils the three requested points. The place of study is given broadly, without naming a university or city; what you learnt about the country is reduced to a brief general observation; and the benefit to your studies is not explained. Instead, much of the letter gives advice about choosing a university, accommodation and part-time work, which does not answer the main request. To strengthen the response, describe a specific aspect of life or culture you experienced and explain how the year improved your academic knowledge or skills.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is some organisation: an opening, a main section with advice and personal observations, and a closing. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “Secondly,” and “Finally” help signal points, and the reader can generally follow the message. However, the progression is not consistently focused on the requested topics. The advice about planning, accommodation and jobs interrupts the account of your experience, while the reason the year helped your studies is absent. Some transitions are mechanical, and the sentence beginning “As you are planning…” is awkwardly connected to the preceding paragraph. Organise the body around the three requested points, using a separate paragraph for each or grouping related details, and use clearer links between your experience and its relevance to her.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use enough vocabulary to communicate the general message, including relevant terms such as “higher studies,” “accommodation,” “financial independence,” and “punctuality.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “adjust there” and “essential part for success,” although these are not always natural or precise. Spelling errors and inaccurate word forms are noticeable, for example “universty,” “planing,” and “accomdation,” and phrases such as “abroad studies” and “not much problematic” sound awkward. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main ideas, but they limit precision and naturalness. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for studying overseas, describing cultural observations, and explaining academic benefits.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response includes both simple sentences and some attempts to connect ideas, for example with “because” and “otherwise.” Most of the message remains understandable, but control is uneven. In “As you are planning to go UK for higher studies and recently, I came back…,” the clauses do not form a clear grammatical sentence, and “I would recommend to decide” uses an incorrect verb pattern. The sentence “Secondly, you could also search accomdation near your campus it will be helpful to save time” joins two independent clauses without suitable punctuation or a conjunction. There are also missing articles and prepositions, as in “go UK.” Practise accurate recommendation patterns (“recommend deciding”) and break long sentences into clearly punctuated clauses.
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