Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-27

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 5.0)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to inform you that the town centres do not look exactly the same. I would appreciate it if you could focus on my information and try to do the research again.

To begin with, I would like to explain that some points in your article were right, such as shopping centres, restaurants, and cafes. This is mainly because customers demand more than the requirements. Consequently, cities look similar, which is not really true.

Furthermore, our town centre is unique in some way. For example, historical buildings, local markets and unique. theref

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 96 words long and ends abruptly mid-sentence. While the letter attempts to address the three bullet points, the development is severely limited. The explanation of why the town is unique is cut off, and the offer of a guided tour is entirely missing. Because the response is incomplete and significantly under-length, it does not fully address the task requirements, resulting in a low score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter shows a basic attempt at paragraphing, but the abrupt ending makes it difficult to assess the overall logical progression. Cohesive devices are used in a very mechanical way, such as 'To begin with' and 'Furthermore'. However, the lack of completion means that the flow of ideas is interrupted, and the relationship between the points is not fully established. The final sentence is a fragment, which disrupts the coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'do not look exactly the same' and 'unique in some way' are basic. There is an attempt to use some topic-related vocabulary, such as 'shopping centres' and 'historical buildings', but the range is insufficient to convey complex ideas. The word choice is functional but lacks the precision and flexibility expected at higher bands. The incomplete nature of the writing also prevents the demonstration of a wider lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but the grammatical control is inconsistent. There are errors in sentence structure, such as the incomplete sentence at the end ('unique. theref'). Additionally, the phrasing 'customers demand more than the requirements' is slightly awkward and unclear in context. While the meaning is generally understandable in the completed sections, the frequent errors and the unfinished state of the writing limit the assessment of grammatical range.

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

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