Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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,

I am writing to formally express my viewpoint on your article regarding town centre view.

I disagree to large extent that all the town centre looks similar although some how the layout has same as others . The country has build the town centre bank of river.you also said that town centre colour has white;moreover,same brand in every shopping mall .I agree on this points.

However, the town centre in my area has newly renovated and they has changed the layount into multi-story building include parking in bottom area and swimming and sport facilities on the top.

I would like to offer a tour of my town as I heard you are visiting each town centre for survey and make a short guide video. I am free next two week ,so if possible make a arrangment to come and I will help you to create an fantastic video documentery.

I look forward to meet and create a video.

Yours faithfully,

Vijay.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you state partial agreement with the article, describe a feature of your town centre, and invite the writer to visit. Your position is clear in “I disagree to large extent” while acknowledging shared features such as the colour and brands. The renovated multi-storey building, with parking and sports facilities, is a relevant difference, but it would be more convincing with a specific detail showing how it contrasts with other centres. The points you agree with are also difficult to interpret because the article’s claims are paraphrased unclearly. The offer of a tour is present, though the reason for the visit and the proposed video receive more attention than the guided tour itself. Develop these ideas more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening purpose, a discussion of the article, a contrasting description, and a closing invitation. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and transitions such as “However” and “I would like to offer” signal the shift to your town and the invitation. Some connections are less clear, particularly the sentence beginning “The country has build the town centre bank of river,” which makes it difficult to see how this supports your response to the article. The sequence of claims in the second paragraph also feels compressed. Use clearer links between each point and the article, and make references such as “this points” more precise so the progression is smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the task, including “formally express my viewpoint,” “renovated,” “facilities,” and “guided tour,” and the reader can generally understand your main message. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “multi-story building.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unclear: “town centre view,” “disagree to large extent,” and “make a short guide video” do not sound natural in context. Spelling errors such as “layount,” “arrangment,” and “documentery” also reduce accuracy. Build a bank of natural phrases for describing urban features and making invitations, and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including the contrast introduced by “although” and the invitation beginning “as I heard.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “all the town centre looks” has a number-agreement problem, while “they has changed” does not agree with its subject. The sentence about the town centre being “bank of river” is also missing grammatical elements, and “I look forward to meet” uses the wrong verb pattern. Aim to produce accurate basic sentences first, then add complex clauses. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, prepositions, and the pattern “look forward to + -ing.”

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

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