Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 am writing this letter to convey my opinions about the recent article published in your newspaper.It seems a good editorial which I enjoyed reading.But,I have some disagreement with your editorial.

I have seen that,you have mentioned about the structures of the buildings.I completely agree that most of the buildings are in same shape.Moreover,I believe that it will be a good information to people who does not bothered about that.

But,most of the houses are builded with various colours.It is found that the colours chosen are very light and more attractive to people.Furthermore,the internal structure is completely different to each other.Everyroom has its own shape and overall ambience.

Hence,I would like to offer you a guided tour to visit our town centres.It helps to understand more about the town centres and you will get an exact idea about the designs and major differences between teh houses.So,please let me know the good time to visit the place.

I hope you will get back to me as soon as possible.

Yours Faithfully

chandas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify agreement with the article’s comments about building shapes, describe differences in colour and interior design, and offer the writer a guided tour. Your position—that you do not fully agree—is clear. The explanation of your town’s distinctiveness is relevant, but it is not fully developed: “various colours” and different room shapes are mentioned without a specific local feature or example that shows how your town differs from most others. The tour offer is also present, though “our town centres” is vague and the invitation could be more direct. To strengthen the response, explain one or two distinctive features and connect them explicitly to the article’s general claim.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, moving from your response to the article, to your disagreement, and then to the invitation. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Furthermore,” and “Hence” make relationships between ideas visible. However, some transitions feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely; “Hence” does not clearly follow from the description of house colours and interiors. The reference to “the structures of the buildings” also shifts to “houses” and “Everyroom,” making the focus less consistent. Use fewer, more purposeful connectors and organise the body around agreement, local differences, and the invitation, with clearer links between each point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “editorial,” “ambience,” “guided tour,” and “major differences,” so the message is generally understandable and suited to the topic. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “light and more attractive.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “a good information,” “in same shape,” and “exact idea.” Spelling and spacing errors such as “teh” and “Everyroom” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural phrases such as “use similar designs,” “useful information,” and “a clearer understanding.” More precise vocabulary for local landmarks or architectural features would also help make your description more convincing and specific.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “I completely agree that most of the buildings…” and “It helps to understand more about the town centres.” The overall meaning is usually clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “people who does not bothered” has problems with agreement and verb form; “most of the houses are builded” uses an incorrect past participle; and “Everyroom has its own shape” needs a space and a more suitable sentence construction. There are also punctuation and sentence-boundary issues, such as missing spaces after full stops and commas placed after “But” and “I have seen that.” Practise accurate verb forms and agreement, and proofread punctuation while varying sentence patterns.

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

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