Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13
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 Tony,
hope you are doing well? i was informed about your decision in studying abroad, that a good choice and i will be glad you assus you in some areas you might need my assistance. Education in abroad is ine of the greatest thing i hage achieved, it really helped me a lot and exposed me to many experience i didnt get to see in my country.
firstly, i did my masters in university of Nova Scotia in canada. it was really a great experience, i got to explore good academic enviroment. they lecturer and the student are accomodating therefore it made learn easy for me. the class room was conducive fir learning which create a very good atmispheric enviroment. there was stable electricity, conducive library, class rooms are in good conditions and the lecturers are highly intelligent. i was over the money with the kind of thing i got to experience.
secondly, the country atmosphere was a bit cold compare to Nigeria but you will cope when you get there, their cultural diversity is amazing and at the same time you will experience some cultural shocks, The peoplebthere are accomodating and friendly. In addition there are varieties of tourist attractions in canada which you can also explore. i trust you will enjoy your stay.
lastly, studying abroad was helpful because i was ooened to alot of employment opportunities and also i added to my CRS score for parmanent residence.
in conclusion, i hope you enjoy your stay and make sure you read your book. i wish you success in your academic journey.
yours faithfully,
sofiat.
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
The student covers all the requirements of the prompt well. The letter is addressed to the wrong person initially ('Dear Tony' instead of the friend's sister), but the content adequately addresses the points: she mentions studying at the University of Nova Scotia in Canada, describes aspects of the country such as cultural diversity, cold weather, and friendly people, and explains how the year abroad helped her with employment opportunities and her permanent residence score. The tone is mostly appropriate for an informal letter to a younger person, although the purpose is fulfilled effectively. Ideas are appropriately extended, matching the descriptors for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, using transition markers such as 'firstly', 'secondly', 'lastly', and 'in conclusion'. However, referencing and paragraph cohesion are sometimes faulty, and punctuation errors (such as uncapitalised sentences and missing apostrophes) detract from the flow. Paragraphing is present, but the overall mechanical nature of cohesive devices and erratic punctuation keep the response at a Band 5.5 level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for general communication, including terms like 'cultural diversity', 'tourist attractions', and 'employment opportunities'. However, there are numerous lexical errors, such as 'assus' instead of 'assist', 'hage' instead of 'have', 'enviroment', 'atmispheric', and 'over the money' instead of 'over the moon'. While communication is not severely impeded, these frequent errors demonstrate limitations in spelling and word choice, aligning with Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over basic grammar and punctuation is weak. There is a total lack of capitalization at the beginning of sentences and for proper nouns ('canada', 'Nigeria', 'sofiat'), alongside comma splices ('it was really a great experience, i got to explore...'). Frequent grammatical inaccuracies and punctuation errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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