Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-23

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 Heena,

I hope you are doing well.i heard that you want to study further in Canada and want to know about courses as well as city. so i had done bachelor of kinesiology in university of Calgary is also known as UOFC. Calgary is situated in Alberta and it's a beautiful , most reliable city.

In first few days its hard to manage everything but after some days you meet everyone and they help a lot so it works. more over Calgary is the coolest city in Canada as in winter temperature some time went to minus 30 to 35 so i have learn that every time if you are going anywhere always wear more layers and stay warm. here people are so friendly and nice so if you are filing lonely and depress don't stay at home go around and tall to people they encourage you and you fill good.

I have learn WCB reporting , 3 software which back home my college didn't teach me. Apart from that here we did practical individually whatever we leant which we have not done in collage .

By hearing from your side that you also want to study more in abroad , i am appreciationg you and when ever you want any help for anything just let me know .we well stay in touch.and good luck for your future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify the University of Calgary, describe the cold winters and friendly people, and explain that you gained experience with WCB reporting, software, and individual practical work. These details make the letter relevant and give the reader useful information. However, some parts are more fully covered than others. The country description focuses mainly on Calgary’s weather and people, while the study benefit is listed rather than explained—for example, you could say how the practical work or software skills supported your university course. The opening also suggests she wants to study further in Canada, rather than clearly referring to a year abroad as part of her course. Develop these points more specifically to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: it opens with a greeting, moves from the location to life in Calgary and then to academic benefits, and ends with an offer of help. This overall arrangement makes the main message understandable. Paragraphing also helps separate the topics. However, some links between ideas are mechanical or unclear. For instance, “more over” introduces another point, but the long passage about weather, loneliness, and meeting people would be easier to follow if divided into shorter, clearly focused sentences. The transition from describing the city to explaining what you learnt academically could also be smoother. Use clearer links between related ideas and ensure each paragraph has one main focus.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to studying and living abroad, including “bachelor of kinesiology,” “WCB reporting,” “software,” and “practical.” These terms help communicate specific aspects of your experience. However, the range and control are limited in places, and several word choices or spellings make the message less natural, such as “most reliable city,” “filing lonely,” and “tall to people.” Some expressions are also imprecise: “courses as well as city” does not clearly describe what she wants to know, and “coolest city” could be misunderstood as meaning fashionable rather than very cold. Choose more precise collocations and check spelling and word forms. This will make your descriptions clearer and more appropriate for a friendly letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the main points. For example, you connect the cold weather with advice about wearing layers, and you use a conditional idea when advising her not to stay at home if she feels lonely. However, some errors in verb forms, sentence boundaries, agreement, and punctuation remain. Examples include “I have learn,” “temperature some time went,” and the run-on sequence beginning “here people are so friendly.” Capitalisation and spacing after full stops are also inconsistent. Review past and present perfect forms, and break longer sentences into complete clauses with appropriate punctuation. More accurate control of these patterns would make the letter easier to read.

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