Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-02
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 4.5)
Dear sarah,
Hi,how are you I hope u have beautiful weekends I am james kiara younger brother you asked me about my foreign studies and experiences
I have compeleted one year postgraduate course in cybersecurity security at Canada the course is very good, professor , staff are very helpful the country is extremly rich with natural resources and the climate is very unpredictable you will they extreme cold in summer and hot temperature in winter so if you are planning to come take the warm clothes and umbrella in advance
During my studies i also taking part in sports activies it help me to reduce stress make a very good bonds with people around me I also studies started the teach the students in ngo or library that is volunteer work so it help to get good grade by doing volunteer work and I can teach them any subjects of my choices So i decided to teach them Math and science for their better future
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response addresses the task only partially. While you mention where you studied by writing 'at Canada' and touch upon aspects of the country such as climate and natural resources, other key parts of the prompt are handled minimally or remain unclear. For instance, explaining why your year abroad was helpful for your studies is underdeveloped, as the mention of volunteering and getting a good grade lacks a clear connection to your university course in cybersecurity. To move to a higher level, you need to ensure that every bullet point from the prompt is fully explored and extended with clear, relevant details and examples.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
There is some basic organisation in the letter, but the overall progression of ideas is lacking. The text is written as a single dense block with very little paragraphing or punctuation to guide the reader through the different topics. Furthermore, cohesive devices are inadequate and repetitive, relying on simple conjunctions or running sentences together without clear transitions, such as in the section 'during my studies i also taking part...'. To improve, you should separate your ideas into clear paragraphs for each part of the prompt and use a wider range of appropriate linking words to connect your thoughts logically.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a personal letter, including terms like 'natural resources', 'volunteer work', and 'postgraduate course'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, form, and spelling, such as 'compeleted', 'extremly', and 'activies'. Additionally, some collocations are awkward, such as 'taking part in sports activies' instead of participating. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, you should expand your vocabulary range and pay closer attention to word spelling and correct word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple sentences strung together. There are frequent errors throughout, including missing articles ('at Canada'), tense inconsistencies ('i also studies started the teach'), incorrect preposition usage, and major punctuation flaws such as run-on sentences and a lack of capitalization ('Dear sarah', 'i'). These frequent errors can cause difficulty and confusion for the reader. To improve your grammar score, you need to work on forming accurate simple and complex sentences, controlling your verb tenses, and applying correct punctuation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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