Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18

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,

I just read an article in global newspaper which claims that town centres in your country looks very similar to each other.I don't agree with this opinion.I live in pakistan and there is a town in between kharian city and kharian cantt.It is beautifull town and have many facilities like,in your country town.There are huge amount of tress, greeny and fresh air there that is almost relates to your town.

Additionally,Firstly, town centres provides a bus station which are very convineant and very fast in service like in your town.Secondly, they also provide a small pharmcy,bakeries,shopping centres which have almost everything that we need in emergency.But, all these things are very expensive that poor or needy people sometimes can't buy these things because in your town there is a centre for needy people to help them.But in our town there is no foundation.

Your roads are very clean and smooth but not ours.So, here i am totally disagree.

I requested you to visit in our town to explore things and then,again write it on your newspaper.

Best wishes to you Sir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all three bullet points from the prompt, although the development of ideas is somewhat superficial and uneven. You successfully stated which points you agreed with regarding town similarities, explained ways in which your town is different by contrasting amenities and roads, and offered a guided tour of your town to the writer. However, some arguments lack clarity, particularly the confusing comparison involving the centre for needy people. Furthermore, the tone shifts slightly between formal letter conventions and casual observations. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, placing the response solidly in Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear opening salutation and closing. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, with several short, disconnected sentences lumped together in large blocks of text rather than organised logically by topic. Cohesive devices are occasionally used mechanically or inappropriately, such as the sequence 'Additionally,Firstly,' which creates confusion. Reference pronouns like 'they' and 'there' are sometimes unclear in their antecedents, making the flow occasionally choppy. Overall, the organizational structure is adequate for a basic formal letter, fitting the criteria for Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but it remains basic and repetitive throughout. You successfully utilised everyday terms like 'facilities', 'pharmacy', and 'emergency', but attempts at less common lexical items led to spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'beautifull', 'convineant', 'pharmcy', and 'greeny'. There are also awkward collocations, such as 'huge amount of tress'. While communication is rarely impeded because the intended meaning usually shines through, the frequent lexical errors and lack of sophisticated phrasing prevent a higher score, matching the descriptors for Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I just read an article in global newspaper which claims that...'. However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization, and articles (e.g., missing articles in 'in global newspaper' and 'in pakistan'). There are also agreement errors such as 'town centres... looks' and run-on sentences punctuated incorrectly with commas rather than full stops. While basic meaning is conveyed, the density of grammatical errors means that simple sentences are often more accurate than complex ones, justifying a Band 5.0 score.

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

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