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,

I am writing this letter with regards to the national newspaper article I read few days back which have the claims that town centres in my country all look similar to each other.

The article mention many points which I am very paticular about the claim that states town centres in my country all look similar to each other which I totally disagree with.

In my country, every town centre have its uniqueness and varies from each other. Lagos state as my town centre is a hustling town known for its multiculturally diverse people, hustling daily compared to other town centres.

I would like the article writer to take a tour round my town centre as this would create a clearer understanding about the difference and similarities between my country town centres. Also, I would like to go on the town centre tour with the writer of the article as this can create an easy tour experience and a clearer knowledge of my country town centres.

I look foward to receiving your response.

Yours faithfully

Choice Ighenegbale

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You make your disagreement clear and include the offer to show the article’s writer around your town, so the main purpose is recognisable. However, the first required point is only partly addressed: you refer generally to “many points” in the article but do not identify any specific point you agree with. Your explanation of Lagos is also brief and unclear; “multiculturally diverse people” and daily activity suggest a difference, but you need concrete details such as distinctive markets, landmarks, architecture, or local customs, ideally compared with other centres. Develop each bullet point more fully and make the contrast explicit. The letter is relevant throughout, but its ideas remain limited and under-supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly sensible order: it introduces the article, states your disagreement, describes your town, and makes the tour offer before closing. Paragraph breaks help separate these functions. However, progression within the paragraphs is not always clear. The second paragraph repeats the article’s claim and says you are “particular about the claim,” without explaining which points you accept. In the tour paragraph, the offer is repeated in two similar sentences, and the link between the tour and “the difference and similarities” is not clearly expressed. Use each paragraph to develop one distinct point, remove repeated information, and use clearer links between the town’s features and your offer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “town centre,” “multiculturally diverse,” and “guided tour,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Hustling town” and “hustling daily” do not clearly describe what makes Lagos distinctive; more precise wording would help. “With regards to” is less natural in this context, while “particular about the claim” does not convey your meaning clearly. There are also spelling errors such as “paticular” and “foward.” Aim for precise descriptions of local features and check spelling and natural word combinations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the overall message remains understandable. However, errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “which have the claims” should use a singular verb and a more suitable structure, while “The article mention” needs subject–verb agreement. “Every town centre have its uniqueness” also has an agreement error, and “Lagos state as my town centre is…” is an awkwardly constructed sentence that makes the relationship between Lagos and your town unclear. Review agreement and sentence boundaries, and build longer sentences around a clear subject and verb. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas easier to follow.

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

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