Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-04

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 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am James, who is a long standing member of The Elite community group in Elora, Ontario. I am writing to show my great dissatisfaction after reading your article in the Gardian newspaper about similarity of town centres in Canada.

Despite this, I appreciate the facts that you mentioned about the city life and culture of the town are commendable. Moreover, identifying and mentioning about the structures of town are indeed time consuming and difficult to portray as well.

The ancient artwork in a form of graphity displayed on the streets of my town, Elora is breathtaking, which is not available in any other town in Canada. Moreover, the traditional lifestyle is still followed in the rural area.

I would like to recommend a guided tour in my town Elora with well-known guide so you can easily rectify the different artworks and ancient architecture, which will help you to broaden your mind set.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

James Nolan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You identified points of agreement, explained the unique features of your town, and extended an invitation for a tour. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of why your town is different relies on general statements about 'ancient artwork' and 'traditional lifestyle' without providing enough specific detail to fully convince the reader. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are more thoroughly extended and supported with concrete examples, rather than just mentioning them briefly. Your tone is generally appropriate for a letter to an editor, though the opening could be more formal.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'Despite this' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is slightly abrupt. Additionally, some of the referencing is a bit mechanical. The flow of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between the article's claims and your counter-arguments could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that the progression of ideas feels more natural would help elevate this score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'dissatisfaction', 'commendable', and 'breathtaking'. However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation. For example, 'graphity' is a misspelling of 'graffiti', and 'rectify the different artworks' is an incorrect collocation; 'rectify' usually means to fix a mistake, whereas you likely meant 'observe' or 'appreciate'. There is also a slight misuse of 'mind set' as two words. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, more precise and accurate word choices would improve the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors. For instance, 'I am James, who is a long standing member' is slightly awkward; 'I am a long-standing member' would be more natural. You also have issues with article usage, such as 'in a form of graphity' instead of 'in the form of graffiti'. There are also minor punctuation and phrasing errors, such as 'mentioning about the structures'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help.

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

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