Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-05

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,

I hope you are doing well. I have brought up something for you which is wrongly published the date of the revolution of India. I was reading an international travel magazine, where I noticed an article related to the revolution of 1985 in India is not correct, as this was actually 1984 in history.

I found this information very important, as it could send a wrong message to the youth who love to read information like that. Also, it can give rise to conflicts and debates on social media, which might impact the reputation of this magazine as well.

I really appreciate your time and consideration. I hope you will find this information useful and relevant for public awareness. If you could edit as soon as possible, that would be helpful for you and society's knowledge.

Thank you

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points: correcting the information, explaining the importance of accuracy, and suggesting a solution. However, the development of these points is quite brief, and the letter fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the overall task achievement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, but the content lacks the depth required for a higher band score. To improve, you should expand on your ideas—for instance, by elaborating on the specific consequences of the misinformation or providing a more detailed suggestion for how the magazine should issue a correction.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the flow of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the correction and the explanation of importance could be smoother. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the overall progression of ideas feels a bit abrupt due to the brevity of the text. Using a wider variety of linking words and phrases would help to connect your sentences more naturally and improve the overall flow of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. Phrases like 'brought up something' and 'read information like that' are somewhat informal and lack the precision expected in a formal letter to an editor. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to journalism and public discourse, such as 'rectify,' 'misrepresentation,' or 'editorial integrity,' rather than relying on simple, repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that hinder clarity. For instance, 'wrongly published the date' is awkward, and 'if you could edit as soon as possible' is missing an object (e.g., 'edit the article'). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately will help improve your score.

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

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