Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-22

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 Amna,

I hope this letter find's you well,

Your brother informed me that you are planning to study abroad ,This is an brilliant choice as I also recommend you to go for this oppertunity

Ali told me you are interested in English so thats why I'm writting this for you to guide you about my experience during studying abroad

I graduated from Oxford university in English ,during my time I felt very comfortable being there and had a very good time with my collegues students and specially the teaching staff is very professional and ethical

I learnt alot from there and its helps me to improve my skills as well ,I got to knew about the country as well because when i reached there I'm not even known about the single history of that nation's culture

So I wish you very best of luck Keep shine and whenever you need me I'm there for your help and guidness

Regards,

Ahad

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose of the letter and include the three requested topics: Oxford University, your experience of the country, and the value of the year for your English skills. The friendly opening and closing also suit the relationship. However, the details are limited and some points remain unclear. For example, “I got to knew about the country” does not explain what you learned about its culture or history, while “it helps me to improve my skills” does not specify which study skills improved or how the experience supported your university course. Develop these points with one or two concrete examples, such as a cultural custom you discovered and a way studying there strengthened your English or academic work.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter has a recognisable sequence: you respond to Amna’s plans, describe your time at Oxford, and offer encouragement before signing off. This gives the reader a basic sense of organisation. However, most of the information is placed in long, loosely connected lines, and the progression between ideas is not always clear. The shift from your university experience to learning about the country, for instance, is abrupt. Linking phrases such as “As for the country…” and “This experience also helped my studies because…” would make the relationships clearer. Use separate paragraphs for the reason for writing, your experience and learning, and your closing advice. Check punctuation and capitalisation so sentence boundaries are easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the general experience, including “studying abroad,” “history,” “culture,” and “teaching staff.” The tone is also generally friendly and appropriate for a personal letter. However, the range is limited, and several spelling and word-choice errors make the writing less clear or natural, such as “oppertunity,” “collegues,” “guidness,” and “Keep shine.” Some phrases are also imprecise: “got to knew about the country” does not clearly express what you discovered. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and more specific vocabulary when describing your learning. For example, name a cultural tradition or explain how you developed your academic English rather than relying on general phrases such as “improve my skills.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, but the response relies mainly on simple structures, and errors are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “I hope this letter find's you well” and “I got to knew,” where the verb forms are incorrect. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation: the opening section joins several complete ideas with commas, and the sentence beginning “I graduated from Oxford university” runs on through several points. Practise accurate present and past verb forms, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries. Breaking longer sentences into shorter units will help you show control while still allowing you to use a range of structures.

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