Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-20

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 regarding an article in a national newspaper in which they print some wrong information about town centers in my country.

let me explain first, actually I read that article Yesterday and although I agree some of these things which they write down in article like some streets have same name and same street lights, my town center is different from most other town centers in my ways like numbers of streets and colours. Even the design are are different from other centers.

I would like to suggest you that you should visit my town for rewrite the article and you should definitely visit school and park of the town center.

Hope to have a positive response from your side as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Jaswinder Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points, but the development is insufficient. While you mention agreeing with the article regarding street lights and names, and you attempt to explain how your town is different, the explanation is vague and lacks detail. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which significantly limits your ability to fully develop your ideas. To improve, you should expand on the specific features of your town, such as unique architecture or local landmarks, and ensure the letter meets the required length to demonstrate a full response to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, but the flow is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical, such as 'let me explain first' and 'I would like to suggest you'. The transition between the agreement with the article and the counter-argument is abrupt. To improve, use a wider range of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas more naturally, and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that contributes to the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'wrong information', 'same street lights', and 'different from other centers' are functional but lack the precision and variety expected at higher bands. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'visit school and park of the town center'. To improve, try to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning or town features, and focus on using words that accurately convey your meaning in a formal context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the design are are different') and missing articles ('visit school and park'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and improper capitalization. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and pluralization. Incorporating a few more complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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