Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

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)

Hello Tina ,

I'm pleased to hear from you that you want to study abroad for the final year of your graduation.

It's been four years since I have been moved to canada . I completed my studies in 2022 from York University .It is one of the well known and high ranked university in Greater Toronto Area. I must recomend you to get admission in that University to complete your course .

In addition to studies,I get to know about the culture of this nation . It is the fast develpoing country with a great amount of career opportunies .

Moving abroad was my best decision I ever made .With numerous jon positions in different departments this country plays a in building my career . Today I am proudly working in the top rated company in Ontario .

Wishing you a success for your next journey .

Regards

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the three requested points: you identify York University in Canada, mention learning about the country’s culture and career opportunities, and explain that the experience helped your career. The recommendation to apply to York also suits the letter’s purpose. However, the description of what you learnt about Canada is very general, and the link between the year abroad and your university studies is not clearly explained; the focus shifts instead to employment. Develop these points with a specific cultural observation and an example of how studying there improved your academic knowledge or skills. A warmer, more direct response to Tina would also make the letter feel more personal.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for your studies, impressions of Canada, and the benefits of moving abroad. This makes the main ideas easy to locate, and the closing is appropriate. Overall progression is understandable, but the connections between ideas are sometimes abrupt: for example, the paragraph about culture moves quickly to career opportunities, while the final paragraph shifts from job positions to your current company without explaining the relationship to your studies. Some linking phrases, such as “In addition to studies” and “With numerous job positions,” do not clearly express the intended connection. Use clearer transitions and organise each paragraph around one developed point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “study abroad,” “culture,” “career opportunities,” and “top rated company.” These choices communicate the general subject and show an attempt to use language beyond basic everyday terms. However, several spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural phrases reduce accuracy, including “recomend,” “develpoing,” and “plays a in building my career.” “High ranked university” is also not the most natural collocation. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise expressions, particularly when describing what you learnt and how the experience supported your studies. Proofreading and learning common word partnerships will make your vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate using a mixture of simple statements and some longer structures, such as “I must recommend you to get admission…” and “With numerous job positions…”. The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “It's been four years since I have been moved” uses an incorrect tense and passive form; “one of the well known and high ranked university” has agreement and article problems; and “this country plays a in building my career” is structurally incomplete. Punctuation and spacing around sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and complete sentence patterns before adding more complex clauses.

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