Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I hope you are well,
I would like to express my disagreement of the the similarity of urban design of our down topic presented in last edition of national newspaper. the are many points that I agree and disagree with for a significant number of reasons.
On one hand , I do agree that all shopping malls are looking identical, the reason for that the civil engineers are using the design for last 15 years. For instance, the Elite mall has the same restaurants and brands as First class mall.
On the other hand, the cinemas have completely different designs and shapes, this is due to the fact that the construction companies used different civil engineers and different urban designs model.
To sum up the main point, I will be thrilled to provide gui
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to address all parts of the task fully, primarily because it is incomplete. The letter ends abruptly mid-sentence ('provide gui'), meaning the final bullet point regarding the guided tour is not addressed. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you attempt to cover the first two bullet points, the lack of a conclusion and the unfinished nature of the text prevent a higher score. To improve, ensure you complete all required points and meet the minimum word count to allow for full development of your arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter uses basic paragraphing and some cohesive devices like 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand' to structure the argument. However, the flow is interrupted by the unfinished ending. There are also issues with punctuation and sentence structure, such as the comma splice in 'the cinemas have completely different designs and shapes, this is due to...'. The logical progression is clear in the initial paragraphs, but the abrupt termination of the text makes the overall coherence weak. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring a complete structure would improve this.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. You use repetitive phrasing, such as 'different civil engineers and different urban designs model'. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'disagreement of the the similarity' (should be 'disagreement with') and 'our down topic' (likely meant 'town'). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise vocabulary related to urban planning and ensure accurate collocations. Avoid repeating the same words in close proximity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the are many points' (should be 'there are'), 'all shopping malls are looking identical' (should be 'look identical'), and 'the reason for that the civil engineers are using' (missing 'is that'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing capital letters at the start of sentences and incorrect comma usage. You need to focus on basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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