Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter in response to your recent article which claims that all town centres are quite similar. I am not fully agree with your statement.

I cannot deny with the fact that the structure of all the town centres are same . The reason behind that is the only one company which has been working on the infrastructure of the major and most visited places of the country .

I am requested you to schedule visit in our town

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the development of the task. While you acknowledge the article and state a position, you have not fully addressed the bullet points. Specifically, you failed to explain how your town centre is different from others, and the offer of a guided tour is missing essential details. Because the response is severely under-length and lacks the necessary development of ideas required for a formal letter, it cannot be awarded a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is very brief, making it difficult to assess the logical progression of ideas. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences, and the paragraphing is disjointed. The ideas are presented in isolated sentences rather than a cohesive flow. To improve, you should use linking words such as 'furthermore', 'however', or 'consequently' to connect your thoughts and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that contributes to the overall argument of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'the reason behind that is' and 'working on the infrastructure' are functional but lack the variety and precision expected at higher levels. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'I am not fully agree', which should be 'I do not fully agree'. To improve, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to town planning, architecture, or local culture to demonstrate a wider range of expression.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

There are frequent grammatical errors that impede the clarity of the message. For example, 'I am not fully agree' is incorrect; it should be 'I do not fully agree'. Similarly, 'I cannot deny with the fact' is an incorrect collocation; it should be 'I cannot deny the fact'. The sentence 'I am requested you to schedule visit' contains significant errors in verb tense and article usage. The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences with recurring errors.

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

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