Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-24

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 to express my dissatisfaction with the overseas news article which illustrates about city centres of my country.

Recently, I read an international article which shows about downtown areas. It describes about supermarkets, fast foods shops, and banks. I really admire that you explore our country's city centres.

However, an article claims that city centres are looks similar, which is not true. There are plenty of historical architecture buildings by this our town areas looks unique and different. In addition, there are traditional resturants, people where come and enjoy good meal.

I would appreciate it if you could come again and i will explore you whole the commercial area as a guided. Then you would examine and explore how the city centre looks completely diiferent from other area.

I look forward to hearing from your response as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Tejwant

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points: acknowledging the article, explaining the uniqueness of your town, and offering a tour. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the score. The development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the description of the town's uniqueness relies on general statements about 'historical architecture' and 'traditional restaurants' without specific details that would make the argument more persuasive. To improve, ensure you expand on your points to fully meet the length requirement and provide more depth to your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used, though the paragraphs are quite short. Cohesive devices are present (e.g., 'However', 'In addition'), but they are used in a somewhat mechanical way. The flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'by this our town areas looks unique'. Improving the transition between ideas and using a wider variety of linking words would help the text flow more naturally and improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward word choice, such as 'illustrates about' and 'explore you whole the commercial area'. The word 'explore' is used incorrectly in the context of giving a tour. Spelling errors like 'resturants' and 'diiferent' also detract from the quality of the writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure you proofread for basic spelling and word-choice errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'city centres are looks similar', 'people where come', and 'I will explore you'. Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are inconsistent. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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