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

Recently' i have read a article which states that all of the town centers in my country looks alike. I don't fully agree with this opinion.

The modern architect have made the use of the glass common in every design, so most of the infrastructure looks same . for example, every shops in a town centre use glass doors, i hardly see a wood door anywhere.

In my city center there are classic wooden lamps which is very uncommon nowadays. There are only underground parking which make streets looks bigger. In addition to that the signs of the streets are in three languages which makes it easier for the tourists.

i would love to have you visit here, i would give you a guided tour of our town.

yours faithfully

perter parker

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: agreeing with the article, explaining the uniqueness of your town, and offering a tour. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of your ideas. While you mention the use of glass in modern architecture and the specific features of your town, such as wooden lamps and multilingual signs, these points are brief. To improve, you should expand on your descriptions and provide more depth to your arguments to ensure the response is sufficiently developed and meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. You use 'In addition to that' and 'for example', but the transitions between sentences are often abrupt. The overall progression of ideas is logical, but the lack of variety in linking words makes the writing feel somewhat mechanical. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider range of cohesive devices to connect your ideas more fluidly and improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use words like 'infrastructure', 'architect', and 'uncommon', which are relevant, but there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise language. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'architect' instead of 'architecture' and 'looks same' instead of 'look the same'. To improve, focus on using more varied vocabulary to describe your town's features and ensure that your collocations are accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('architect have made', 'every shops... use', 'lamps which is') and punctuation errors (e.g., 'Recently' i have read'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors is noticeable. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and proofreading your work for punctuation and capitalization errors before submitting.

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

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