Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05
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 5.5)
Dear xyz,
I hope this letter find you radiant health and . I am very happy to know that you have got chance to read a course at a well known university in UK. It is a good opportunity for you and it will be beneficial for your career.
I also read that university. The environment of the university is amazing and all the teachers and stuffs are very helpful. Although, I did not read the subject you prefer to read, some of my friends studied that course and the told it was the best course in university.
We all know about UK. But for your convenience I want to tell you something about this country. UK is one of the best country for education. When I was in there it was the best one year in my whole life. No pollution ,no traffic, amazing neighborhood was make the journey more smooth.
I will meet you as soon as possible before your flight. Also you can call or email me . I will try to give you more information about the university and others information on our meeting. Best of luck for your future journey.
with love,
xyz
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: it mentions the location (UK), describes the country, and explains the benefits of the year abroad. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the description of the country as having 'no pollution, no traffic' is a generalization that lacks depth. Additionally, the explanation of why the year was helpful for studies is vague, focusing more on the environment than the academic impact. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details about the academic skills gained or the cultural insights acquired during your time abroad.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'Although, I did not read the subject...' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'I also read that university,' which does not clearly link to the previous context. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would significantly improve the logical progression of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as using 'read a course' instead of 'study a course' or 'stuffs' instead of 'staff'. The phrase 'read that university' is also unnatural. While you attempt to use some descriptive language, the range is limited, and some collocations are incorrect. To improve, focus on learning common academic collocations and ensure you use words in their correct context, such as 'staff' as an uncountable noun.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'I hope this letter find you radiant health' (missing preposition and verb agreement), 'amazing neighborhood was make' (incorrect verb tense/form), and 'others information' (incorrect pluralization). While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.