Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-12
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
You have just read an article in a national newspaper which claims that town centres in your country all look very similar to each other. You don't fully agree with this opinion.
Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper. In your letter
- say which points in the article you agree with
- explain ways in which your town centre is different from most other town centres
- offer to give a guided tour of your town to the writer of the article
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Student answer (Band 4.0)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to express the disagreement with your atrice that claims all town centres look very similar to each other in my country. I am not completely agree with this view.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 2.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5
The opening establishes the purpose of the letter and gives a clear, though qualified, position: “I am not completely agree with this view.” However, the response does not identify any specific point from the article that you agree with, describe how your town centre differs, or offer the writer a guided tour. As a result, the main requirements of the task are almost entirely unaddressed, and the position is not developed beyond a brief statement of disagreement. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, leaving no room to explain or support the ideas. To improve, address each bullet point explicitly and add relevant details about local features and a courteous invitation.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The response has a basic, understandable sequence: it opens politely, states why you are writing, and then gives your position. The greeting and the sentence beginning “I am writing” make the purpose easy to identify. However, the letter stops before any supporting points or further development, so there is no progression across paragraphs and the reader cannot follow a complete argument or response to the task. The linking between the two main statements is also limited. Organise the letter into a short introduction, a paragraph discussing the article and your town’s distinctive features, and a closing paragraph offering the tour. Use simple links such as “Although” or “For example” to show how the ideas relate.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
You use appropriate basic expressions for a formal letter, including “Dear Sir or Madam” and “I am writing to…”. The phrase “town centres look very similar to each other” also communicates the article’s claim clearly. However, the vocabulary range is very narrow because the response contains only an opening and does not describe local places, features, or an invitation. There is also a spelling error in “atrice,” which makes the reference to the article less clear, and “express the disagreement” is an unnatural collocation. Aim for precise language to describe what makes your town distinctive, such as its historic market square or independent shops, and use natural phrases such as “disagree with the claim” and “offer you a guided tour.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response uses simple sentence forms that are generally understandable, and the opening “I hope you are doing well” is correctly formed. However, the range is very limited, with no developed complex sentences or varied structures. There are clear grammatical problems in “I am writing to express the disagreement” and “I am not completely agree”: the first needs a more natural determiner or construction, while the second should use “do not completely agree” or “am not completely in agreement.” These errors affect the accuracy of the central message, although the reader can still understand your position. Practise forming negative statements with auxiliary verbs and using infinitive clauses accurately, then include a range of sentence patterns to explain and support your points.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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