Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-11

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, Hope you re doing well. I am writing this letter to tell you that there are some mistakes in your magazine regarding my town . Well, As it is an international level article every information in the article should be real. Any false knowledge can mislead the foreign tourists. You mentioned that the roads are small and there is a lack of cafes , although numerous cafes opened recently. and new roads are under construction for the ease of citizens and tourists . Its very crucial to change this information , because many foreigners go through magazines before visiting any new place .visitors never travel those places with heavy traffic and small roads. Reputation of my town is at risk with this wrong idea. i will be very very thankful if you erase this misinformation from your article , or can add about news cafes and new roads which will be soon contructed. you can visit my town to see such changes before making changes in the article . I look forward your response. Thank you . Yours sincerely,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: correcting the information, explaining the importance of accuracy, and suggesting a solution. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor, and the purpose is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of why accuracy is important could be more nuanced, and the suggestion for the magazine to visit the town is a bit simplistic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on your points with more sophisticated reasoning and ensure the tone remains consistently formal throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'although' and 'because' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices is limited. The paragraphing is present but could be more effectively used to separate the different requirements of the task. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'misinformation', 'construction', and 'reputation'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'real' instead of 'accurate' or 'factual'. There are also minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'contructed' and 'news cafes' (instead of 'new cafes'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and ensure you are using vocabulary that is appropriate for a formal letter to an editor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar, such as missing articles ('the' before 'reputation'), inconsistent capitalisation ('Dear sir'), and run-on sentences. The use of 'I look forward your response' is missing the preposition 'to'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and consistent punctuation will help you demonstrate better control over your grammatical structures.

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

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