Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-03

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 read your article in national newspaper about town centres.However you wrote many realatable things of all town centres , i was not fully agree with your opinion due to some reasons. Firstly my home town has quite different from any other areas due to historical. physical and climate aspects.My hometown is famous for trade from anicents times because there have yamana river which had good source of transport. As compared to other towns, they have cool climate which has benefical for agriculture .

Although, infrastructure of my areas is quite arecholgical based , other towns have modern buldings and factories.

i would request you to visit our state before write any article on national journal regarding town centres. you will find a new way to express the town beauty and speciality. Thus many new tourist would be attracted which would help to enhance the tourism sector.

i would be more glad if you will come to my town and enjoy this beauty.

yours sincerely

jashan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You make your disagreement clear with “I was not fully agree with your opinion,” and you give relevant reasons, including the river’s historical role in trade and the town’s archaeological infrastructure. However, the task is only partly addressed: you do not clearly identify which specific points in the article you agree with, and the differences from other town centres are asserted rather than explained in detail. The invitation is present, but “visit our state” is less direct than offering the writer a guided tour of your town. To strengthen the response, briefly acknowledge one article point you accept, develop the town’s distinctive features with concrete examples, and explicitly offer to show the writer around.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: it introduces the article and your position, gives reasons for the town’s distinctiveness, and ends with an invitation. “Firstly” and “Although” help signal relationships between ideas. However, the progression is not consistently clear because several points are compressed into one paragraph, and the contrast introduced by “Although” is difficult to follow. The invitation is also repeated in two similar closing sentences rather than developed into a clear final offer. Use separate paragraphs for your response to the article, the town’s features, and the invitation; then connect each point with accurate, varied linking phrases and clear references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt topic-related vocabulary such as “historical,” “source of transport,” “agriculture,” “infrastructure,” and “tourism sector,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts difficult to understand, including “realatable,” “anicents,” “benefical,” and “arecholgical.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “famous for trade from ancient times” and “express the town beauty and speciality.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and choose precise terms for the town’s features. For example, describe the river as having supported trade and transport, and refer to the town’s historic architecture or archaeological sites.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer structures, including “Although, infrastructure of my areas is quite arecholgical based, other towns have modern buildings and factories,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in verb forms and sentence patterns occur in “I was not fully agree,” “my home town has quite different,” and “before write any article.” Articles, agreement, and punctuation also need attention: “in national newspaper” lacks an article, and the opening runs “centres.However” together. These errors sometimes make the intended relationships unclear. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses with correct forms—for example, “My hometown is different because it has…” and “I would be delighted to show you around.”

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

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