Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05
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 June,
How're you? I hope you're fit as a fiddle. I am feeling delighted to know that you're planning to spend a year studying abroad for university studies. Since I also did the same course, so I will be happy to share some of the details about it, which would be helpful to you during that time.
Talking about my course, I did the same course as you at the University of Alberta, which is located in downtown; therefore, it would be easy for you to take public transport. Moreover, you will also find a part-time job easily in that location, or you can find one on campus.
During that time, I met with students of diverse backgrounds and cultures, which enhanced my knowledge about different cultures; apart from that, people of Canada are very helpful and polite.
Lastly, graduating in another country no helps to enhance ou
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The response only partially addresses the task requirements because it ends abruptly mid-sentence, leaving the final bullet point regarding the benefits to your studies unaddressed. Additionally, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the minimum 150-word count, stopping at 149 words. While you successfully mention where you studied at the University of Alberta and describe some general aspects of the country such as the helpful and polite people, the incomplete ending severely limits the overall completeness of the task. To improve to a higher band, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are fully developed and that you meet the minimum word count without cutting off your sentences.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is some organisation in the letter, such as opening with a friendly greeting and attempting to structure paragraphs around location and cultural experiences. However, there is no clear overall progression due to the abrupt ending of the text. Cohesive devices are sometimes basic or repetitive, with frequent use of connectors like 'moreover', 'apart from that', and 'lastly' which can feel mechanical. Referencing is generally clear with words like 'it' referring to the course, but the lack of a completed conclusion disrupts the flow of the writing. To achieve a higher band, you need to ensure logical progression from start to finish with more natural and varied linking words.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, featuring familiar phrases like 'fit as a fiddle' and 'part-time job'. You make attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'diverse backgrounds and cultures' and 'public transport', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and expression, such as 'for university studies' instead of 'for your university course', and 'graduating in another country no helps'. These errors do not completely block communication, but they cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up to a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary with greater precision and fewer word-choice inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response displays a limited range of structures, featuring mostly simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are often faulty, such as the run-on construction 'Since I also did the same course, so I will be happy...'. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles and awkward phrasing like 'graduating in another country no helps to enhance ou'. These errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control over grammatical patterns and verb forms. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate a greater variety of error-free complex sentences and improve your control over basic syntax.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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