Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-19

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 writing this letter to express my concern about that yesterday I read an article on your newspaper about towns. At First I fell very amaze thinking that someone has a concern about how our cities look nowadays. but after reading few line I had made me disappoint although the writer also mention some points . I agree with some of them. the writer mentioned in every city healthcare service improve than before. I totally agree with this statement. he also added educational institutes are improving day by day. It is also true.

He or she wrote every cities are same looking nowadays. I totally disagree with this statement . I invite your writer to visit our city then he can realize why our city is different from others. Recently our city council set up traffic lights and AI camera for law breakers. For that the traffic congestion decreased . Many improvement are also happening like set up parks, building separate space for walking and cycling. our city council member are also arranged weekly meeting for knowing daily improvements.

thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

yours faithfully

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state your agreement with the article's points regarding healthcare and education, explain how your town differs through specific examples like traffic management and urban planning, and extend an invitation for a tour. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, ensure your tone is consistently formal and professional throughout. While you have covered the requirements, the expression of your position could be more sophisticated to better engage the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and sometimes inaccurate. For example, the transition 'At First I fell very amaze' is awkward and lacks a clear logical link to the following sentence. Additionally, the punctuation is inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and missing capital letters at the start of sentences (e.g., 'but after reading', 'the writer mentioned'). Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on simple phrasing, such as 'improve than before' and 'every cities are same looking'. There are also noticeable errors in word choice and form, such as 'fell very amaze' instead of 'felt very amazed' and 'disappoint' instead of 'disappointed'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that you use the correct word forms (adjectives vs. verbs) to convey your meaning more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'every cities are'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'healthcare service improve'), and missing articles. Additionally, the sentence structure is often fragmented, which affects the overall clarity. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring subject-verb agreement, and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms before submitting your work.

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

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