Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-01

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)

I am writing this letter to giving you correction to your article about town center of my country which was published in the newspaper yesterday.

First of all, the way your article published in the newspaper will give visibility to my country's town center. I really appreciated the way you mentioned all the description of the town centres.

My town centre is bit different than downtowns of other as Canada has biggest building which is called as CN Tower and only the downtown in the world has that bigger building. Apart from this, city centres have several biggest companies of the world such as Google, Microsoft, TD etc.

I would like to offer you a guided tour to my city centres, in which we will explore best part of the town and also give some hidden information of the town which will definitely help you to write article in future about my city.

I am looking forward to have you as my guest.

Yours faithfully,

Tez

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly state your disagreement with the article, provide specific examples of how your town is unique, and extend a polite invitation for a tour. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the mention of the CN Tower and corporate offices is relevant, but the explanation of why these make the town centre 'different' from others could be more nuanced. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all' and 'Apart from this' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'the way you mentioned all the description'. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider range of linking words and ensure that pronouns clearly refer back to the intended nouns to improve the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your points effectively. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'visibility', 'downtowns', and 'guided tour'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'give visibility' instead of 'raise awareness' or 'give correction' instead of 'correct'. Additionally, there is some repetition of the word 'town' and 'city'. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing would significantly enhance your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'I am writing this letter to giving you' (should be 'to give'), 'the way your article published' (should be 'the way your article was published'), and 'only the downtown in the world has that bigger building' (should be 'the biggest'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they indicate a need for more consistent control over verb forms, articles, and comparative structures.

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

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