Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07

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,

My name is Shubham Savaliya. I am writing this letter to share my opinion on an article, which was published in the national newspaper. I recently read this article, but some points are not right, which I would like mentioned in this letter. Like, the town centers in the country all look quite similar to each other.

Here are some points that I agree with this article, which includes better infrastructure facilities, drainage systems, and much more. Which makes me proud regarding my country.

There are various things that distinguish my town center from other town centers. My city has better infrastructure facilities than others. It also has a better job opportunity, good education, good environments, etc. People want to move into my city from others due to these type of facilities and disadvantage.

I would like to offer you a well-known guide to you for touring my town. He will explain to you about all the places very well with detailed information without any false news.

Thank you for your cooperation. I am looking for your reference.

Yours sincerely,

Shubham Savaliya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task. You identified points of agreement, explained how your town is unique, and offered a tour. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, when explaining how your town differs, you list general benefits like 'good education' and 'good environments' without providing specific, concrete examples that would make your argument more persuasive. Additionally, the tone is occasionally inconsistent with a formal letter to an editor. To improve, ensure your arguments are more fully extended with specific details rather than general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Here are some points' and 'There are various things' to transition between ideas. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the connection between sentences is sometimes weak. For example, the phrase 'due to these type of facilities and disadvantage' is confusing because 'disadvantage' does not logically follow the positive points you listed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks precision. Phrases like 'good education' and 'good environments' are quite basic. You also struggle with word choice in certain contexts, such as 'I am looking for your reference' (which is not standard English in this context) and 'without any false news'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning or civic pride, and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'some points are not right, which I would like mentioned' should be 'which I would like to mention'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and pluralization, such as 'due to these type of facilities'. While your meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms would be highly beneficial.

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

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