Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-02

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 Simran,

I hope you're in the pink of health! I got to know you want to be the part of a university course. I did my one year diploma in the same course and I would say that it has been a great experience.

I completed my course in the well-known university which is situated in Montreal and the name of the university is Mcgill. I stayed in the hostel provided by the university and it was an magnificent experience. This university is not only famous for its education but its extra curricular activities. I enjoyed participating in various activities such as Arts and drama.

It was certainly a huge decision to take my studies in Montreal and I am so glad that I did. I have learned various things here. The language is something that I have never heard before and I was completely new it but my friends and teachers assisted me in many ways. Moreover, The country is enormously beautiful and people here there were very welcoming. I definitely think that you'll enjoy studying there.

When I finished my studies there and then I was sent for the training and during those training sessions I got an job offer from a company with a high wage and I suddenly said yes for it and I think I have made the best decision of my life. Moreover, I have learned plethora of things either it is food recipes or it is a new language.

Feel free to ask for further details.

Lots of love,

Suman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify McGill University in Montreal and include relevant details about campus life, the language, local people, and your later training and job offer. However, the task asks specifically what you learnt about the country and how the year abroad helped your studies. These points are only partly addressed: “the country is enormously beautiful” and “people here… were very welcoming” are broad observations, while the language is not named or explained. The final paragraph focuses mainly on employment and learning recipes, rather than showing how the experience strengthened your university studies. Develop these points with specific examples, such as a skill or subject knowledge you gained and how it supported your course. This would make the letter more fully responsive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for your university and experiences, and an appropriate friendly closing. The sequence is generally understandable, and phrases such as “Moreover” and “When I finished my studies” help connect ideas. However, the progression is weakened by abrupt shifts: the paragraph about Montreal moves from the decision to study there to the language and then to a general recommendation, while the final paragraph jumps from training to a job offer and recipes. Some links are also awkward or repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “Moreover.” Group related details together and make each paragraph serve one clear purpose: location and university, cultural learning, then academic benefits.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for a personal letter, including “extra-curricular activities,” “participating,” “assisted,” and “welcoming.” The friendly expressions “in the pink of health” and “Lots of love” also suit the informal context, although the former sounds rather formulaic. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, such as “be the part of a university course,” “take my studies in Montreal,” and “learned plethora of things.” “The language” is too vague when describing what you discovered about the country. Check spelling and forms too: “Mcgill” should be “McGill,” and “extra curricular” is usually written “extracurricular.” More precise, natural phrasing would make your meaning clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “which,” “but,” and “when,” and the overall message remains understandable. However, errors occur in both basic patterns and more complex sentences. For example, “it was an magnificent experience” has an article error, and “I was completely new it” is missing a necessary preposition. The sentence beginning “When I finished my studies there and then I was sent…” has an awkward, faulty structure, while “during those training sessions” does not agree naturally with the singular idea of training. There are also punctuation and capitalisation slips, such as “Moreover, The country.” Review articles, prepositions, agreement, and sentence boundaries, then proofread longer sentences carefully.

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

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