Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-17

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,

I will inform you in my area article in a national newspaper that claims town centres in your country all look very similar to each other. so I have a opinion like a in my areas newspaper the Vancouver town centre is different in several ways. in Vancouver city the downtown and park moreover,resturants and clothing shops . they have public transport like sky trains which makes easy to explore new areas.i believes in future Vancouver areas is interesting in my town. thanks for considering my view point.

yours sincerely,

Robinpreet singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the development of the required points. While you attempted to address the three bullet points, the ideas are severely underdeveloped. For instance, you mention that Vancouver is different but do not explain how it differs from the 'similar' town centres mentioned in the article. The letter lacks a clear structure and fails to fully engage with the prompt's requirements, such as explaining specific ways your town is unique or providing a coherent invitation for a tour. To improve, you must expand on each point with specific details and ensure the response meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The letter lacks logical progression and paragraphing. The sentences are disjointed, and the use of cohesive devices is minimal and often inaccurate, such as the awkward transition 'so I have a opinion like a in my areas newspaper'. There is no clear introduction, body, or conclusion, which makes the text difficult to follow. To improve, you should organize your ideas into distinct paragraphs—one for each bullet point—and use linking words like 'furthermore', 'however', or 'consequently' to connect your thoughts more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. You rely on basic words and struggle with collocations, such as 'I will inform you in my area article'. There are also issues with word choice and spelling, such as 'resturants' and 'sky trains' (which should be 'SkyTrain'). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express complex ideas or maintain a formal tone appropriate for a letter to an editor. You should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning and formal letter writing to improve your range and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede communication. There are significant issues with sentence structure, such as 'I believes in future Vancouver areas is interesting in my town', which is grammatically incorrect and unclear. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after commas and periods. The range of structures is limited to simple sentences, and there is a lack of control over basic grammar, including subject-verb agreement and article usage. You need to focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for punctuation and tense consistency.

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

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