Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16

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 Ruchi,

I hope you are doing well. I got your letter, you want higher study in abroad. That would be good opportunity for your future, you can update your skills. Abroad is diverst country, people live here from different counties, so you get a chance to learn new languages and you can enjoy different dishes from different part of the world.

I studied in norhern college which is located in the north part of Ontario. And I select computer programming, which is bit hard from other courses. The hostel is situated inside the college campus, so it is easy to accomodate.

I learnt many skills during my part time job with upgraded technology. Life of abroad is not easy task you have to manage yourself and up to date according to time.

In the abroad with the study you can participate part time work when ever you have leisure time or during summer break. You can earn money for you cominf semester and for your daily expenses. But it is really a good experience when you feel independent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all the required bullet points of the prompt. You begin by addressing Ruchi and telling her where you studied by stating, 'I studied in norhern college which is located in the north part of Ontario.' You then describe what you learned about the country, mentioning that 'Abroad is diverst country, people live here from different counties,' which allows you to experience diverse cultures and dishes. Finally, you explain why the year abroad was helpful for your studies and future career by discussing how part-time work helps you earn money for your 'cominf semester' and gives you a sense of independence. All parts of the task are adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter maintains a generally coherent overall arrangement and follows an appropriate friendly letter format starting with 'Dear Ruchi,'. Ideas are grouped into topical paragraphs discussing your college, your job, and your overall experience. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with abrupt transitions between sentences and paragraphs. For example, jumping from university courses to hostel accommodation within the same paragraph creates a disjointed flow. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun usage referring back to previous thoughts. Paragraphing is present, but overall progression could be smoother and better linked to achieve a higher band score, placing this firmly at Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your lexical range is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your general experiences of studying abroad. You attempt some less common vocabulary such as 'accommodate', 'independent', and 'leisure time', but these are accompanied by notable spelling errors like 'norhern' for northern, 'diverst' for diverse, 'counties' for countries, and 'cominf' for coming. There are also inappropriate word choices, such as 'you want higher study in abroad' instead of pursuing higher education abroad, and 'Life of abroad is not easy task'. These inaccuracies in spelling and word choice cause some distraction for the reader, though communication is generally maintained, resulting in a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The hostel is situated inside the college campus, so it is easy to accomodate.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing prepositions and articles (e.g., 'higher study in abroad', 'Life of abroad', 'In the abroad'). Run-on sentences and comma splices also occur, such as 'I got your letter, you want higher study in abroad.' While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with high frequency and restrict you to a Band 5.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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