Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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 Raman,
I am writing a letter to inform you that I heard about from my friend that you want to go to abroad for higher education and take part in university. I want to advice you that you would take part in university canada west as same my university and I have good experience during my study in it. This university is located in Vancouver and easy find out with the help of map.
I want to suggest you that before going to canada country, youn would explore information about this nation. Honestly, I faced obstacles in this country during first few months due to have not proper knowledge about it. Firstly, you would learn properly how to work map which is essential part of person"s life and also convenient foer going to anywhere without any difficulities.
Study in abroad is useful for me because I got more experience in my specific field which I want to adopt in my future as career and this is helpful for me to open opportunities of jobs in abroad. Besides, I get chance to know culture of foreign country which is useful for me to adjust in new environment. I hope you would pay attention on my advice and try to follow it .
Yours faithfully,
Gurpreet
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully stated where you studied ('university canada west' in Vancouver), described what you learned about the country (the need to understand the nation and use maps), and explained why it was helpful for your studies (gaining experience in your specific field and opening job opportunities). However, the letter is addressed to 'Raman' (your friend), whereas the prompt specifies writing to 'your friend's sister'. This is a noticeable misunderstanding of the recipient requirement. Additionally, some ideas like map-reading are slightly repetitive and under-developed. Therefore, the task is addressed adequately overall, aligning with Band 5.5 descriptors due to the partial misunderstanding of the target audience and somewhat limited development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter has a discernible structure with paragraph divisions separating the introduction, body points, and conclusion. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and some awkward transitions. For instance, sentences like 'I am writing a letter to inform you that I heard about from my friend' display mechanical and faulty cohesion. Paragraphing is attempted, but referencing between sentences (such as 'as same my university' and 'due to have not proper knowledge') lacks clarity and fluency. Cohesive devices are either inadequate or awkwardly applied, placing this response squarely at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include phrases like 'canada country', 'easy find out', 'due to have not proper knowledge', and 'foer going to anywhere'. While there is an attempt to use topical words related to studying abroad and career opportunities ('higher education', 'environment'), word choice and collocation are frequently inaccurate ('take part in university', 'open opportunities of jobs'). This reflects the Band 5.0 descriptors, where the lexical range is limited and noticeable errors occur throughout.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly joined coordinate clauses. Attempts at complex sentences frequently result in grammatical errors, such as 'I heard about from my friend that you want to go to abroad' and 'you would learn properly how to work map which is essential part of person"s life'. Frequent errors in prepositions, verb forms, and articles are present throughout the text (e.g., 'study in abroad', 'adjust in new environment'). These errors cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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