Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14
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 my friend's sister,
im writing to express my abroad experience during my study visa in canada
i was studied in bcit college in canada in 2025 and i took a cerficate of trade and transportation logistics. First thing is that when i do my studies at bcit i was learnt about trades and transporation.Instant, i was week in trades becouse this was not my hobby but the proffesor's were so helpful and guided me a ample of new skills and technologies about trade and transportation.Furthermore, i also had a group team members which we were learnt in a group assignments and lectures.
Literally, we know that abroad is a game changer for us if we choose right path so canada deegre was helpful me in a various ways like, i am doing right now as a broker for many peaple and i aslo invest in crypto and so many compnies and infact i will open a logistics company in future and im researching about that.
I wish you would understand what i am saying in this letter and i want you to success in your life in abroad
Yours faithfully
Ekamjeet Singh
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student has attempted all parts of the prompt, successfully mentioning where they studied ('bcit college in canada') and detailing aspects of the host country and their studies. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and uneven. While they mention learning trades and transportation, the explanation of how it helped their studies is slightly convoluted, blending personal career goals like crypto investment with formal university studies. The tone is mostly appropriate for an informal letter to a friend's sister, though the salutation 'Dear my friend's sister' is unnatural. Overall, the task is addressed, fitting a Band 5.5 descriptor profile.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by poor referencing and mechanical cohesive devices. For instance, the transition 'Instant, i was week in trades' is confusing and lacks appropriate linking. Pronoun referencing is also weak in places, such as 'which we were learnt in a group assignments'. Paragraphing is attempted, separating the introduction, learning experiences, and future outlook, but the internal cohesion of sentences frequently breaks down. This performance aligns with a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary range is limited and basic, with frequent word choice and spelling errors ('im', 'cerficate', 'transporation', 'Instant' for instead, 'peaple', 'compnies', 'deegre'). The writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'game changer' and 'logistics', but lexical control is poor. Misspellings and inappropriate collocations ('a ample of new skills') occasionally impede the reader's understanding, placing the lexical resource clearly within the Band 4.5 to 5.0 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
Grammatically, the response exhibits very limited control over complex sentence structures. There are frequent, noticeable errors in tense usage and agreement ('i was studied', 'i was learnt', 'proffesor's were', 'which we were learnt'). Punctuation is largely neglected, with missing capitalisation at the beginning of sentences and improper comma splices or run-on sentences. The majority of complex structures attempted contain errors that cause difficulty for the reader, matching the Band 4.5/5.0 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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