Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-06
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 ajay,
i hope you are doing welll. i am writing this email to suggest you my abroad experinece as i know your sister keen to go abroad and study there . i would like to shate my abroad experinece with you so . which gives you clear direaction to choose .
i studied in canada in a well known university . it was huge and thay offered so may couses . i completed my it degree with 90 marks . as i am new to that country i learnt how to become a confident person . i did everything by myself .i cook , clean ,shop and at the same time study . this give me broaden of horizon .
for me that year was so essential because in those day i have learnt so many things which i could not learn here so i think so should also give it a try for your sister so she can experience the same
give my regards to your family
yous lovingly ,
priya
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: you mentioned studying in Canada, described what you learned about the country (becoming confident and independent), and explained the benefits for your studies. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the description of what you learned about Canada is somewhat generic and focuses more on personal habits like 'cook, clean, shop' rather than cultural or academic insights. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific details or examples. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, though the opening is slightly confused regarding the recipient.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and sometimes inaccurate. For example, the transition 'as i am new to that country' is a bit abrupt, and the phrase 'so which gives you clear direaction' is grammatically awkward and does not link the ideas effectively. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the lack of varied linking words makes the writing feel a bit disjointed. Improving your use of transition words like 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'in addition' would help the flow of your writing significantly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your message, but it is quite basic and repetitive. You use the word 'abroad' and 'experience' multiple times in the first paragraph, which limits the range of your expression. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'welll,' 'experinece,' 'shate,' 'direaction,' and 'thay,' which are distracting. You attempt some phrases like 'broaden of horizon,' but this is not the correct collocation. To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary and ensure you proofread your work to correct simple spelling mistakes that could have been avoided.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You use a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this give me'), tense inconsistency (e.g., 'i cook , clean ,shop'), and missing articles or incorrect word forms (e.g., 'broaden of horizon'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces missing before commas and periods. While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall clarity and professionalism of your writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for verb tenses will help.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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