Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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 Raman,

I hope you are doing well.I recieved a call from my sister about the concerns you have about the college.I studied in the Georgian College, Barrie campus ,it is situated in north side of Ontario.This college run various programs related to heath,computer ,science etc.Moreover,provides many other facilities for the students such as gym,swimming,grounds for tennis,basketball,football.

During my studies I lived in Barrie and have a chance to meet local people daily. Here people are very respectfull and honest,there try to help you a lot as much they can.Most of the areas are full of greenery,without pollution.The whether here is normal in summers,but winters are very crucial, you will see lot of snow here.

As ,I have already did some courses from my school,and coming here to continue my studies helped me a lot because here there is a latest technology and advanced classes play an important role and I have learned many new skills here,which will helped me a lot in my future.

I hope,I answered your all questions .

Yours truly,

Simran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you identify Georgian College in Barrie, describe local people, greenery and winter weather, and explain that modern technology and advanced classes helped you learn skills. The letter is relevant and uses an appropriate greeting and sign-off. However, the account of what you learnt about the country is quite general and focuses mainly on Barrie; a specific cultural or educational observation would make this more informative. The explanation of how the year abroad supported your university studies is also brief: clarify which skills or knowledge helped with your course. These under-developed details mean the task is only partially fulfilled, despite covering each prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for the college, life in Barrie and the benefit to your studies. This helps the reader follow the main topics. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak: the first paragraph moves from the college location to its programmes and facilities without clearly connecting these details to the recipient’s concerns. Linking phrases such as “Moreover” and “As” are used, but some connections are awkward or unclear, and the closing sentence does not smoothly summarise the advice. Improve the flow by ordering details around the three questions and using clear references and transitions, rather than adding information in a list-like way.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “programs,” “facilities,” “greenery,” “pollution” and “advanced classes.” However, the range is limited, and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make parts less natural, such as “the concerns you have about the college,” “the whether here is normal,” and “winters are very crucial.” Spelling errors such as “recieved,” “respectfull” and “heath” are also noticeable. Aim for more precise language to describe your experience and check spelling carefully. For example, explain what you learned about local culture rather than relying on broad descriptions such as people being “honest.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a sentence explaining how studying abroad helped you. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “This college run,” “there try to help you,” and “I have already did some courses”; these show problems with subject–verb agreement, pronouns and verb forms. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “I studied in the Georgian College” and “I hope you are doing well.I recieved.” Practise accurate past-tense forms and agreement, and separate sentences with appropriate punctuation. Clearer, shorter sentences will help you express the ideas reliably.

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