Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 express my dissatisfaction about the article that was published related to town centers in our country on 22nd of October in Tribune. I agree with the statement that few similarities are there in town centers but all are not exactly same.

To start with, architect of government offices like post offices, banks are almost same. Even they follow same interior too. In addition to this. multichain companies also follow same pattern which is good as they maintain thier integrity.

I belongs to small city named as London. There are few shops in my town center which are owned by third generation and doesn't change for decades. Similarly Local producers are also selling thier goods for deacdes in same town center.

I would like to invite this writer to my city so that he can explore more and change his mindset towards town centers.My office will be closed on coming weekend due to local holiday.Please ask writer to visit my place.

I am looking forwards to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Shaan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you partly agree that town centres share features, identify long-established shops and local producers as distinctive, and invite the article’s writer to visit. Your position is clear in “few similarities are there … but all are not exactly same.” The examples about government offices and chain companies also show which points in the article you accept. However, the differences specific to your town are only briefly described, and the invitation is not fully developed: “Please ask writer to visit my place” gives little detail about what the tour would show. Add one or two concrete local features and explain what the visitor could see to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for your agreement, local differences, and invitation. This makes the main stages easy to follow, and phrases such as “To start with” and “In addition to this” help signal relationships between ideas. Some linking is mechanical or unclear, however: “Similarly” does not clearly explain how local producers relate to the shops mentioned before, and the invitation paragraph runs several ideas together without clear sentence boundaries. The opening also moves quickly from dissatisfaction to agreement. Use more precise transitions and connect each example explicitly to your main point; careful punctuation would make the final paragraph easier to read.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “government offices,” “multichain companies,” “local producers,” and “integrity.” These choices show an attempt to be specific rather than relying only on basic words. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “dissatisfaction about the article,” “few similarities are there,” and “change his mindset.” Spelling errors in “thier” and “deacdes” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and precise wording, especially in a formal letter. For example, describe the article as making a “claim” you “partly agree with,” and say the writer may “reconsider their view” after seeing your town.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including “I agree with the statement … but all are not exactly same” and the purpose clause “so that he can explore more.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation remain. Examples include “I belongs to small city,” “which are owned by third generation and doesn't change,” and “Even they follow same interior too.” The final paragraph also joins sentences without spaces after full stops. Review subject–verb agreement, article use, and consistent pronouns, and practise combining ideas accurately. These corrections would make your varied sentence attempts more controlled.

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