Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-26

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/Madam,

I have read your article in your magazine about my town. Your article contains incorrect information about my town, which is representing bad image of my town. Magazines are the source of information which gives the truth about the places and people. The reader of your magazines are getting the incorrect information about my town and also they have the bad perception in their mind because of your article. Therefore i think it is important for your writers to visit our town first and research about the town, then they should published. By doing this the correct information will be provided to public and it will create the good image in the mind of public which will attracts them towards our town. I would request you to consider my letter letter on priority basis and make the rectification in your article. I will be very thankful to you.

Lovely

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: correcting the information, explaining the importance of accuracy, and suggesting a solution. However, the response is quite generic. You mention that the article contains 'incorrect information' but fail to specify what that information actually is. To achieve a higher band, you should invent a specific detail (e.g., a wrong location for a landmark or an incorrect opening time for a museum) to make the letter more realistic and convincing. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the development of ideas is somewhat limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purpose of the letter to the explanation and finally the suggestion. However, the paragraphing is non-existent; the entire response is written as a single block of text. In formal correspondence, it is essential to use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, the body points, and the conclusion. Additionally, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, relying heavily on simple connectors like 'therefore' and 'and'. Improving the variety of linking words and using paragraphing would significantly enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use repetitive phrasing, such as 'my town' and 'incorrect information', which appear multiple times. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'representing bad image' (should be 'portraying a negative image') and 'on priority basis' (should be 'as a matter of priority'). To improve, try to use more sophisticated synonyms and collocations that are natural in a professional context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'The reader of your magazines are' (subject-verb agreement error), 'they should published' (incorrect passive voice), and 'which will attracts' (verb form error). There are also minor punctuation and article usage issues throughout. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and the correct formation of passive structures.

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

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