Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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 Medam,

I am writing in respone to you about recently artical claiming that town centre of city is very similar to another . i am not completely agree with this news bacause i believe every building have own values .

Firslty, the think that each and every building structure look like same as compared to another thesedays like shops ,resaturants, and cafes that make people life easy because almost every national and international brands found in shooping centres, but in my town centres have some local shops where local people sell different kind of items examples handmade creafts, local fresh food that make it unique and different from another market.

I would be delighted to offer you a tour of my city , so ypu can get a chance to exprience its beauty it would be helpful for u to change your point of view regarding my town centre .

Your faithfully ,

Harpreet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the main purpose of the letter and make your position clear: you partly accept that shops, restaurants and cafés can look alike, but argue that local businesses make your town distinctive. The examples of handmade crafts and fresh local food are relevant, and you offer the article’s writer a guided tour. However, the point you agree with is expressed somewhat unclearly, and the explanation of what makes your town different is brief rather than fully developed. The tour offer would also be stronger if you gave a specific invitation or described what you would show the writer. Overall, the task is covered, but some parts are less fully explained than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening stating its purpose, a paragraph discussing similarities and local differences, and a closing offer. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” help signal the development of the argument. However, the main paragraph combines several ideas in a long sentence, making the contrast between common chain businesses and your town’s local shops harder to follow. Some connections are also unclear, particularly the shift from agreeing with the article to explaining why your town is different. Use separate sentences for each point and clearer links such as “However” or “In contrast.” The overall arrangement is coherent, though cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “national and international brands,” “handmade crafts,” and “local fresh food,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There is also an attempt to use formal letter language, such as “I am writing in response” and “I would be delighted.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable, including “artical,” “resaturants,” “shooping,” and “exprience.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “every building have own values” and “different from another market.” These choices sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for describing local character and differences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a sentence that contrasts familiar businesses with local shops. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “every building have own values” needs a singular verb and a possessive determiner, while “I am not completely agree” uses an incorrect verb pattern. Articles and plurals also need attention in phrases such as “town centre of city” and “different kind of items.” The long sentence beginning “the think that each and every building structure…” would be easier to control if divided into shorter sentences. More accurate agreement, articles and sentence boundaries would improve the overall control.

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

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