Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08

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 Aisha,

This email is regarding my advice for you about studying in abroad. I heard from your brother that you are thinking to get admission in university in abroad for your education. I would like to tell you my experience of abroad through this email.

First of all, I studied in western community college in Surrey, BC, Canada. I completed bachelor of hospitality management here. Moreover, I learnt a lot from this country while doing study such as managing budget. how to live independently, work experience etc. I had to face number of challenges as well such as financial issues, homesickness and so on.

However, this year was really helpful for me because it helped me to develop my skills such as communication skills, problem-solving skills, critical skills. Moreover, It helped me to learn about how I should spend money wisely.

I hope this email will work for you and you will definitely make a plan to go to abroad for study.

Lots of love,

Daljit Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify Surrey, British Columbia, as your study location, mention learning to manage a budget and live independently, and explain that the experience developed skills useful for your studies. The letter is relevant and its friendly closing suits the recipient. However, some points are less fully developed than others. The description of what you learnt about Canada is brief and mixes cultural or practical learning with challenges such as homesickness; the link between your year abroad and your university studies is also general. Explain, for example, how communication or problem-solving helped with particular coursework or hospitality studies, and add a specific observation about life in Canada.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, a paragraph about your studies and experience, a paragraph on benefits, and a closing. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all” and “Moreover” help guide the reader, and the main ideas are easy to follow. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, however, because “Moreover” is repeated and several points are presented as lists rather than connected explanations. The opening also repeats the idea of giving advice and sharing your experience. Use a wider range of natural links, and make the relationship between learning about the country, facing challenges, and gaining study-related skills clearer. A more direct opening would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant terms such as “homesickness,” “financial issues,” and “problem-solving skills.” The friendly tone is generally appropriate for a personal letter. However, several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “studying in abroad,” “get admission in university in abroad,” and “go to abroad for study” all use “abroad” incorrectly. “Critical skills” is also vague, and “work experience etc.” does not clearly explain what you learnt. Choose more natural collocations and precise wording, such as “study abroad,” “enrol at a university overseas,” and “critical-thinking skills.” Avoid relying on broad lists when a specific example would communicate more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use a mixture of simple sentences and longer structures, and most of the message remains understandable. There are some errors in sentence construction, articles, prepositions, and punctuation. For example, “I completed bachelor of hospitality management here” needs an article and a clearer tense or location reference; “I heard from your brother that you are thinking to get admission” has an awkward verb pattern; and “managing budget. how to live independently” incorrectly separates items in a list with a full stop. Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “Moreover, It helped.” Practise patterns such as “thinking of applying to a university” and use commas or conjunctions to connect list items. More accurate control of these forms would make the letter smoother.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.