Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-02

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have just read an article in an international travel magazine which contained some information about your town that is incorrect.

Write a letter to the editor of the magazine. In your letter

• correct the information in the article
• explain why it is important for the magazine to give correct information
• suggest what the magazine should do about this situation

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 Ghanshyam patel from Edmonton.Here I explaine about one article which I read in an international travel magazine. This article print about local bus service. All point correct acept one. in magazine mensence all route and timing. good for public. But unfourtunatly one thing wrong print may be by mistake. That was bus fare. Bus minnimum fare was 3.75 but by mistacley print 4.75.

I draw our attenction about bus fare. Because most of people uses bus for going job or any were. In our citiy buses use more than compare other citiy. Minnimum fare may be effcted on all buget.

I hope pleased crrection on mistake in next addition. I dully waiting next addition. right now every one affire about this.

I waiting for your hiring.

Your sincerly,

Ghanshyam patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points: correcting the fare, explaining the importance of accuracy, and suggesting a correction. However, the development of these ideas is limited, and the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement (136 words). The tone is somewhat informal and lacks the professional polish expected in a letter to an editor. Because the response is under-length and the ideas are expressed in a very basic, underdeveloped manner, it does not fully satisfy the requirements for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is divided into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and often mechanical or inaccurate (e.g., 'Here I explaine about', 'But unfourtunatly'). The progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed, and the lack of linking words makes the flow feel choppy. While the overall purpose of the letter is clear, the lack of sophisticated transitions and the repetitive sentence structure prevent a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, with frequent spelling errors that occasionally impede readability (e.g., 'acept', 'mensence', 'unfourtunatly', 'affire'). The range of vocabulary is limited to simple, everyday words, and there is no attempt to use less common or more precise lexical items appropriate for a formal letter to an editor. The errors in word choice, such as 'hiring' instead of 'hearing' or 'addition' instead of 'edition', demonstrate a lack of control over vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response relies almost exclusively on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles, incorrect verb tenses, and subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'This article print', 'most of people uses', 'I dully waiting'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods and incorrect capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors and the lack of complex sentence structures significantly limit the score in this criterion.

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