Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Dear,friend
I'm writing this letter to apolozise you as I am not able to attend your birthday party
Hope this letter finds you in best of spirits and radiant health.i am extermely sorry as i could'nt attend your birthday party arrange by you at the hotel resort last night.as i have to attend my cousin's wedding followed by many ceremonies,I have to go with my parents and I am the only person who drives car.
After one week I can join you and we will go to cinema and party.
looking forward for your response.
again sorry
thank you
yours lovingly,
meeree
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the prompt by writing an apology letter for missing a birthday party. However, the response falls significantly short of the required 150-word minimum, containing only 102 words. This under-length severely limits the development of the ideas. While the purpose of the letter is stated and a brief alternative meeting is proposed, the lack of detail and elaboration means the task is only partially addressed. For instance, the excuse regarding the cousin's wedding is rushed into a single, overly long sentence without sufficient elaboration. Consequently, this warrants a band 5.0 for task achievement under the negative length penalty guidelines.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter lacks proper paragraphing and organization, presented almost as a single block of broken thoughts. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, such as 'After one week' and 'again sorry'. The progression of ideas is disjointed, moving abruptly from the apology and excuse to the rescheduled meeting. Referencing is also slightly unclear in places, such as the dangling clause regarding the wedding and driving. Overall, the structural arrangement demonstrates features of band 5, where information lacks a clear overall progression and cohesive devices are inadequate.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses a limited vocabulary range appropriate for basic social interactions, with noticeable spelling and word choice errors such as 'apolozise', 'extermely', and 'could'nt'. While expressions like 'radiant health' and 'hotel resort' are attempted, they feel formulaic or slightly unnatural in this context. The lexical control is minimally adequate to convey the basic message, but frequent slips in spelling and word formation restrict the score to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response shows a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or poorly connected compound-complex structures that contain frequent punctuation and capitalization errors, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('i am extermely', 'as i have'). There are notable grammatical errors, including 'apolozise you' instead of 'apologize to you', and run-on sentences like the second paragraph. Because the errors are frequent and cause some difficulty for the reader, the grammar aligns with a band 5.0 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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