Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-01

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

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear........,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Rita,

I am writting this letter to share my last studies experence with you. I hope you and your family will be fine. I complete my team management course from a canada's internatinoal bow-velly collage that is in calgary.

I just not only complete my studies but also varoius things learn from public besis during my curse. I work there as part time job at a small resturant and frist time start earning during my studies. I learn how people use their lier time on useful things instad of watching reels. Most of everyone prefer there healthy food and healthy activies. People are lovely and belive to help others and encurge them.

Canda has one of top universities in the world, many orginigations in India has fix cota for that slective collages dagree holders. I was supprised when i got slected on my frist job interview because of values of study in Canada.

I am proud that you choosing abroad for your higher studies and wishing you well.

your lovingly,

Happy Gill

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify your college in Calgary, describe aspects of Canadian life you noticed, and explain that studying there helped you gain a job. The details about working part-time and being selected in a job interview make the experience personal and relevant. However, the study benefit is not fully explained: the link between your Canadian course and the job interview is mentioned, but you could clarify what knowledge or skills from the course helped you. Some observations, such as people preferring healthy food, are also quite general. A clearer explanation of what you learned about Canada, supported by a specific example, would develop the less fully covered parts of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for your studies, observations about life in Canada, and the value of the experience. This helps the reader follow the main topics. The ideas generally progress from your location to what you learned and then to the effect on your career. However, some connections are abrupt: “Canada has one of top universities” shifts quickly from cultural observations to employment, and the relationship between these points is not made clear. Linking phrases such as “As a result” or “This experience also taught me” could make the progression smoother. The closing is appropriate, though a more conventional sign-off would make the letter feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “part time job,” “healthy activities,” “universities,” and “job interview,” and you attempt to describe both cultural and academic experiences. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable, for example “writting,” “experence,” “public besis,” and “lier time.” These sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “complete my team management course from” and “values of study in Canada.” Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling carefully. More precise expressions for your course, daily life, and the skills gained would help you communicate your experience more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main message is usually understandable. For example, you connect ideas with “not only…but also,” and use a reason-and-result relationship when describing your job interview. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. “I complete my…course” needs a past-tense form, while “I work there as part time job” needs a correctly formed article and verb phrase. The sentence beginning “I just not only complete…” is difficult to follow because its structure is incomplete. Practise writing accurate past-tense sentences about your year abroad, then combine them with a few controlled complex sentences.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.