Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-15
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 or Madam ,
I hope you will be fine . So dear Sir or Madam I writing this letter because I read a newspaper where I was saw many similar news from the other country about my town . Firstly Iam agreed with this news that our town eudcation level is similar from the other countries . According to the internationl news ther are many insitiain in our country . there are many univercityes for study . The education system of our country is very good .I am also fully agree with this statment .
In adation , our countres are not similar in one thing from the other countries our town culture is very different from the others our town traditions fastivasl and our religion is alsi diffrent from the others . I rquest you that you write a news in the aritical about our youn that there are amny falilites sach as trancepot and mny other ples in the statmnant you must concetrate . your
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover the bullet points required in the General Training task, but the execution falls short of fully developing the ideas. The writer mentions agreeing with parts of the article regarding the education level, states that the town's culture and traditions differ, and attempts to offer a tour or discuss transport facilities. However, the connection to the specific prompt instructions—particularly regarding town centres looking similar versus how this specific town centre is different—is frequently obscured by misunderstandings of the prompt and vague language (such as confusing town centres with general national education levels). Furthermore, the final bullet point regarding the guided tour is largely missed or expressed incomprehensibly ("I rquest you that you write a news in the aritical about our youn that there are amny falilites..."). Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, earning a band score of 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The organisation of the text shows some basic structure, beginning with the required salutation ("Dear Sir or Madam,") and moving through initial and secondary thoughts using transition markers like "Firstly" and "In adation". However, paragraphing is irregular and confusing, with large gaps and blocky text. Progression is hindered by frequent digressions and sentences that do not flow logically from one to the next. Cohesive devices are used, but often inaccurately or mechanically (e.g., repeating "from the others" excessively). Paragraphing is not used sufficiently or appropriately to structure the letter clearly. While the overall arrangement shows an attempt to organise thoughts, the frequent breakdown in logical sequencing and referencing leads to a band score of 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic, repetitive, and heavily impacted by spelling errors. Throughout the text, words are misspelled significantly, such as "eudcation" for education, "internationl" for international, "insitiain" for institutions, "univercityes" for universities, "statment" for statement, "adation" for addition, "countres" for countries, "fastivasl" for festivals, "rquest" for request, "aritical" for article, "youn" for town, "falilites" for facilities, "trancepot" for transport, "ples" for places, and "concetrate" for concentrate. While the writer attempts to use topical vocabulary related to towns and education, the extreme frequency of spelling mistakes and lexical inaccuracies strains the reader and impedes communication, limiting the lexical score to a 4.5, rounded to 5.0 based on the basic adequacy of the core terms attempted.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The grammatical range is quite limited. The writer mostly attempts simple sentences alongside very basic, faulty complex structures. There are persistent, fundamental errors in verb tenses, word order, articles, and prepositions throughout the letter. Examples include "I writing this letter because I read a newspaper where I was saw many similar news", "our town eudcation level is similar from the other countries", and "our town culture is very different from the others our town traditions fastivasl and our religion is alsi diffrent from the others" (comma splices and run-on structures). Punctuation is also problematic, with excessive spacing and missing periods or commas. Because frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and accurate sentences are rare, the grammar aligns with a band score of 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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