Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear sir,

I am writting this letter to complain about the problems I am facing by not arrive the destination of the the documents which I sent last week by post. I would like to elaborate this problem and hope to recive the posible solution.

Sharing details about my last post I have sent last week on 12th saptember at 3:00 PM to bangluru. Hopping to arrive it by 4 to 5 official working days, but it still not arrived the destination. The document contains my whole work experience with having my original identity cards. I sent to the company in bangluru in which I have applied for the Job. It is urgent requirement to arrive the document by next monday.

I would like to suggest you to take proper action against this situation and provide solution on time. Post should make a proper shcedule and follow that structure, so later in life poeple do not have to face the same problem which I am facing right now.

I hope you understand my issue and try to solve this problem soon by taking it seriously. Looking forward to your solution and hope for arriving my documents soon.

Yours Faithfully,

Princy K.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task well, establishing a clear purpose for writing to complain about delayed documents. The student outlines the contents of the post, including the original identity cards and work experience documents, and specifies when it was sent. The desired outcome is communicated, asking the postal service to take action and ensure timely delivery. However, the development of ideas is slightly repetitive, particularly in the closing paragraphs where the demand for a solution is restated multiple times. Despite this, the tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, and all necessary prompt requirements are successfully met, aligning the response with a Band 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning, middle, and end, following standard formal letter conventions. Paragraphing is utilised to separate the introduction, details of the shipment, the suggested actions, and the conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'Sharing details about my last post' and 'I would like to suggest you' feel somewhat unnatural. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'Post should make a proper shcedule', where the subject lacks a clear antecedent. Overall organisation is logical, but cohesive devices require more flexibility, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'official working days' and 'urgent requirement'. However, there are notable spelling errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, including 'writting' instead of writing, 'recive' instead of receive, 'posible' instead of possible, 'saptember' instead of September, 'Hopping' instead of hoping, 'bangluru' instead of Bengaluru, and 'shcedule' instead of schedule. These errors show a lack of control over standard spelling and collocations, though they do not severely impede communication because the context remains clear. This falls comfortably within the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition in sentence structure. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings that disrupt accuracy. Examples include 'problems I am facing by not arrive the destination of the the documents', which contains preposition and verb form errors, and 'it still not arrived the destination', which misses an auxiliary verb. Other errors include 'The document contains my whole work experience with having my original identity cards' and 'hope for arriving my documents soon'. These grammatical lapses and punctuation slips mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority, placing this performance at Band 5.0.

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

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