Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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

I am writing this letter to inform you that i am disagree with your opinion about my town center in which you can write article on on your newspaper

Firstly , I agree with some point of your article . In the article you can write town center is big and structure of town center is very good and easy to see each place of town

Secondly , my town center is total different from other becouse I can put a lot of thing in town center like lighting ,water systems and I also make new garden around the town center and grown new trees flower and so on. Further more I also buith lighting system in which traffic will control becouse in moder era most of people face traffic problem

Thirdly , sir I will organize a tour of my town center .you will watch my all project which help to solve this problem.

I will share tour details on your email .I hope you will come

Your faithfully

Manjot

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the task: agreeing with some points, explaining the uniqueness of the town, and offering a tour. However, the development of these ideas is limited. The explanation of why the town is different is somewhat confusing, as it focuses on personal additions like 'lighting' and 'water systems' rather than the architectural or cultural character of the town centre. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to an editor, though the expression of disagreement is slightly blunt. To improve, you should provide more specific, descriptive details about the town's unique features to better support your argument against the newspaper's claim.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Thirdly'. There are also issues with referencing; for example, the phrase 'you can write article on on your newspaper' is unclear in its connection to the previous sentence. The flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by grammatical errors, making the progression of ideas feel disjointed at times. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'big', 'good', and 'thing'. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'grown new trees flower' instead of 'planted new flowers' and 'buith' (spelling error for 'built'). The phrase 'moder era' is also used incorrectly. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. You should focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to urban planning and town centres to improve your precision and range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement ('i am disagree'), article usage ('the' is often omitted), and sentence structure. Many sentences are simple, and attempts at more complex structures often result in errors, such as 'in which traffic will control'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and periods. To reach a higher band, you need to focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb tenses and consistent use of articles, while also working on reducing the frequency of errors in simple sentences.

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

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