Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-26

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 Simi,

I hope you are well. I hope your family are doing well too. I am writing concerning the questions you asked me about my experience spending a year studying abroad.

Actually,after my 2 years study in Nigeria at Auchi Polythechnic, I worked my tansfer to a university in Manchester City for a one year course of study. I did my study at Stalford University, Machester city in the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, I learnt alot about the country. Most of all its multicultural population. I get to find out that manchester has so many people from different cultural groups whob live or school there.

Also, my year of studying in Mancgester has help me expand my knowledge and skills regarding my career. It also exposed me to diverse of opportunities and people for around the world. I was also expose dto the use of technilogies and this has helped expand my research skills.

I hope this letter find you well. My regards to your family and lots to my friend Sandra.

Yours sincerely,

Choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify Stalford University in Manchester, mention learning about its multicultural population, and explain that the experience developed your career knowledge, research skills, and exposure to opportunities. These details make the letter relevant and its purpose clear. However, the description of the country is quite general: the observation that people from different cultural groups live or study there could be extended with a specific example of what you learned from this diversity. The explanation of academic benefits is also listed rather than fully developed; for instance, you could show how improved research skills supported a particular part of your course. A little more detail on these ideas would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, separate sections covering the study location, cultural learning, and academic benefits, followed by a closing. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “Also” help signal the progression, and the reader can follow the main points. To make the organisation more natural and cohesive, avoid relying on these formulaic transitions and connect related ideas more smoothly. The repeated opening “I hope you are well” and “I hope your family are doing well too” could be combined, while the final sentence shifts abruptly to family greetings. Clearer paragraphing and a more direct closing would strengthen the progression and make the letter feel more unified.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “multicultural population,” “diverse … opportunities,” and “research skills.” These phrases communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-choice, and collocation errors reduce precision. Examples include “worked my tansfer,” “alot,” “people for around the world,” and “use of technilogies.” Some errors make the reader pause to interpret the intended meaning. Aim to use accurate, natural phrases for studying abroad and academic development, and check spelling carefully. More precise wording would help you express the cultural and educational benefits without relying on broad terms such as “a lot” and “opportunities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate your main points using both short statements and some longer sentence forms, such as the sentence beginning “Also, my year of studying in Mancgester…”. However, control of verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction is inconsistent. For example, “my year … has help me” needs a past participle, and “I was also expose” needs a matching verb form. “I hope this letter find you well” also has an agreement error. The opening phrase “after my 2 years study” shows difficulty forming a grammatical noun phrase. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and keeping verb forms consistent, then proofread each sentence for complete, correctly formed clauses. Greater accuracy would make your ideas easier to read.

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