Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-04

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/Madam,

Hope you are doing good. I have recently gone through your article in the newspaper which was very well written but i have some reservations which I wanted to discuss with you. Hope you would not mind discussing this with you and take it as positive criticism.

You mentioned in your article that in my country all town centres look very similar to each other. Actually not, every town centre is different from one another, every centre has its own pros and cons. Some of which are described below:

Firstly, every town centre is different in terms of appearance/shops, some have shopping malls in them while some have small markets.

Secondly, in some centres shops are segregated according to their types while in some centres its just a mixture and you have to find the desired shop yourself.

Thirdly, some centres have easy access from buses while for some centres you have to use the train.

These were some of the points that I wanted to discuss with you. I would like to have a one on one meeting with you if you find time and would love to explain more. Hope you would not cosider this letter as as personal as I just shared my point of view with you. As we all know that every persona has different point of view about different things.

Hoping to hear from you soon. Take care and have a great day. Thank you.

Best regards,

Frank

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You make your disagreement clear and give several relevant comparisons, including differences in shopping facilities, how shops are arranged, and access by bus or train. However, the task is only partially fulfilled: these examples are general rather than explaining how your own town centre differs from most others. You also do not identify any points in the article that you agree with, and your offer is to meet for a discussion rather than to give the writer a guided tour. The closing comments about differing opinions repeat your position without adding support. To strengthen the response, acknowledge one specific point from the article, describe distinctive features of your town, and explicitly invite the writer to visit and be shown around.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable opening, a sequence of points, and a closing, so the reader can follow its general direction. The numbered progression—“Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Thirdly”—helps organise the comparisons. However, the response does not progress clearly from the article’s claims to specific features of your town and then to the requested tour offer. The list remains general, and the final paragraph repeats ideas about discussing your views and differing opinions. Some references are also unclear, as in “Hope you would not mind discussing this with you,” where the intended relationship between the writer and reader is difficult to follow. Use separate paragraphs for agreement, local examples, and the invitation, with clearer links between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “shopping malls,” “small markets,” “segregated,” and “easy access.” There are also attempts at more formal language, such as “reservations” and “positive criticism.” However, several expressions are awkward or imprecise for a formal letter: “doing good,” “one on one meeting,” and “take it as positive criticism.” Repetition of “different” and “some centres” also limits variety, while spelling errors such as “cosider” and “persona” reduce accuracy. Choose more natural collocations and precise terms for the town’s distinctive features, and proofread spelling. For example, “distinctive character” or “local landmarks” could help make the description more specific.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of short statements and longer sentences, and most of the message remains understandable. However, sentence control is uneven, particularly in the opening and closing. “Hope you would not mind discussing this with you” has an unclear subject and an incorrect pronoun relationship; “Hope you would not cosider this letter as as personal” contains a repeated “as” and an incomplete clause. Capitalisation is inconsistent in “i,” and the sentence beginning “As we all know that” is not well formed. Some sentences also run together through comma use. Practise complete clauses and check pronouns, articles, and punctuation; for instance, “I hope you will not mind my offering a different perspective” is clearer and grammatically controlled.

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