Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-01

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 4.0)

1. I agree with there are a lot of sky scrappers, every town centre has corporate buildings of top multinational and nothing else.

2.Town of Aden has mix of residential, commercial, as well as tall corporate skyscrappers. It has a beautiful lake in the middle unlike any other town

3......

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter with regard to the article you published recently.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify one point of agreement—corporate buildings are common—and give a relevant difference: Aden has a lake in its centre. However, the response does not fully address the task. You do not explain the lake or other distinctive features in enough detail, and the required offer to give the article’s writer a guided tour is missing; “3……” does not communicate that offer. The opening is appropriate, but the letter ends before its purpose and position are developed. The response is also 77 words below the required minimum, which leaves too little space to cover all three bullet points. Develop each point with specific details and include a clear invitation to visit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 2.5

The numbered notes show a basic sequence: agreement with the article, followed by a contrast about Aden. The greeting and opening sentence also establish a letter format. However, the notes are not integrated into a coherent letter, and the abrupt “3……” interrupts the flow rather than introducing the guided-tour offer. There is no developed paragraphing or closing, and the relationship between the article’s claim and your own view remains unclear. Use a simple structure—opening and opinion, a paragraph describing Aden’s distinctive features, then an invitation and sign-off—and connect the ideas with clear transitions such as “However” and “For example.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “corporate buildings,” “multinational,” “residential,” “commercial,” and “lake.” These terms help convey the contrast between common urban development and Aden’s setting. However, the range is narrow because the response is very brief, and some choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, such as “sky scrappers” and “has mix.” “Beautiful” is understandable but general; a more precise description of the lake or its surroundings would make the comparison more informative. Aim to use accurate collocations and add specific vocabulary for local landmarks, architecture, and atmosphere so your description sounds more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates a few basic ideas through short statements, and the opening sentence, “I hope you are doing well,” is grammatically sound. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and the first numbered point contains a faulty construction: “I agree with there are…” should be recast, for example, as “I agree that there are…”. The phrase “Town of Aden has mix” also lacks an article and a possessive or other determiner, while “unlike any other town” is attached to a sentence that would benefit from clearer structure. Practise building complete sentences with accurate articles and clauses, then combine related ideas using a contrast clause.

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

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