Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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 Ayesha ,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing this letter to explain you about my study experience in abroad as my friend Asad, asked me to tell you regarding my journey and experince in Itly.

Firstly , I had applied for my masters in university of Milan in 2025 in itly. Fortunately, I secured admission in that university and they sent me admission letter to join the course that was relating to one health. Despite just studyiyng I also learnt about their culture as well as their language.Morever, It was very sophisticated society and they were very helpful people especially towards the foreign students. I made many freinds in Itly while studying.

Lastly , I would like to tell you about the advantages of studying in foreigner universities. It was very helpful for me to secure the job as a assistant professor in the universities of Pakistan because Pakistanis universities really regard to those who did their masters abroad especially in Europe.

I trust this information would be very helpful for you to study in european universities and after returning you will get a job for sure. You can conatct me any time for any additional information. Wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.

Best wishes ,

Ali Raza

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify the University of Milan in Italy, mention learning about the culture and language, and explain that the qualification helped you obtain an assistant-professor job in Pakistan. The employment example gives the final point a useful personal detail. However, the description of what you learnt about Italy is less developed: “sophisticated society” and “helpful people” are broad impressions, with little explanation or a specific example. The study location and course are also presented, but the letter could explain more clearly what you studied and how the experience supported your academic learning. Develop these points with concrete details, such as a cultural custom or a skill gained through your course, to make the response more complete and informative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, paragraphs about your studies and life in Italy, the benefit to your career, and a closing. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly” and “Lastly” help signal the progression, and the reader can follow the main message. However, these transitions feel somewhat mechanical, and the second paragraph combines several ideas—admission, the course, culture, language, and friendships—without developing clear links between them. Some references are also unclear, as in “they sent me admission letter,” where the institution is not precisely identified. Use more natural links between related ideas and organise the country-learning details separately from the university information to improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “secured admission,” “culture,” “foreign students,” and “assistant professor.” There are also attempts at more formal expressions, such as “I hope this letter finds you in good health” and “future endeavours.” However, noticeable spelling errors and awkward word choices reduce precision: “experince,” “Itly,” “freinds,” and “conatct” are examples, while “study experience in abroad” and “foreigner universities” are not natural collocations. Some wording is also vague, particularly “sophisticated society.” Check spelling carefully and choose more idiomatic phrases, such as “my experience studying abroad” and “universities overseas,” while using specific vocabulary to describe what you observed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including “Despite just studying I also learnt about their culture as well as their language” and the sentence explaining how the degree helped your career. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “explain you about” needs a different structure (“explain my experience to you”), and “I had applied” is not the appropriate tense for describing the completed application in this context; use “I applied.” Articles and prepositions are also missing or incorrect in “they sent me admission letter” and “in university of Milan.” Review sentence patterns, articles, and punctuation around introductory phrases to make your varied structures more controlled.

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.