Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-07

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 5.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing regarding the recent article said our town has no historical building ;however, it actually has 200-year-old building called “market square”.

The reason for This market has a number of local shops which are quite famous for antique furnitures and other products such as decorative items. The business of selling these products has great value on economy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 70 words long. Consequently, the task is not fully addressed. While you identified the incorrect information and attempted to explain its importance, the third bullet point regarding a suggestion for the magazine is entirely missing. The ideas provided are underdeveloped due to the severe lack of length. To improve, you must ensure all three bullet points are addressed with sufficient detail and meet the minimum word count to allow for full development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is very short, making it difficult to assess organizational skills. There is a basic attempt at paragraphing, but the progression of ideas is stunted. Cohesive devices are minimal; for example, the use of 'however' is grammatically incorrect in its placement. The lack of a clear structure and the absence of a closing statement or sign-off further impact the coherence. To improve, ensure you use a wider range of linking words and organize your response into a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each bullet point, and a formal conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. There are errors in word choice and form, such as 'historical building' (should be plural 'buildings') and 'antique furnitures' (furniture is an uncountable noun). The phrase 'great value on economy' is also unnatural; a more appropriate collocation would be 'significant impact on the local economy'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express complex ideas effectively. You should focus on learning correct collocations and the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns to improve your precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains several grammatical errors that hinder clarity. There are issues with sentence structure, such as the run-on in the first paragraph: '...article said our town has no historical building ;however, it actually has 200-year-old building...'. Articles are frequently missing (e.g., 'the' before '200-year-old building'). The range of grammatical structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate control over complex sentence structures and improve your accuracy with articles, plurals, and punctuation.

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

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