Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-21
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 am writing to inform you that information I read from your magazine are incorrect .
Firstly I would like to request that please change currently 750 soldiers work in Indian army instead of 550 you mentioned in your international travel magazine.
Furthermore, I recommend that please write correct information in your magazine because some information hurts people emotions . Everybody read your magazine and they believe in you but some wrong information create negative impression.
Lastly, I would appreciate it if you could print correct information on your next international travel magazine and apologize for your mistake . Please also make sure that this type of mistake never happen again . Without any realistic source please don't print anything.
Yours faithfully,
Brijesh Patel
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student has attempted all parts of the task: correcting information regarding the number of soldiers in the Indian army in their town, explaining why correct information is important because incorrect details hurt people and create a negative impression, and suggesting that the magazine should print the correct facts and apologize. However, the response is under-length, containing only 127 words compared to the required 150-word minimum. This results in some under-development of ideas, particularly regarding the explanation and the suggestions. Consequently, Task Achievement is penalised for length and addressed points, placing it at a Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter uses basic paragraphing with clear separation for the introduction, body points, and sign-off. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'Lastly' are employed to structure the sequence of ideas. However, referencing is sometimes awkward, and transitions feel mechanical. While the overall arrangement is coherent, the limited length and simple transitions restrict the score to a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, such as 'information', 'magazine', and 'correct'. There are some word choice and collocation inaccuracies, for example, 'information I read from your magazine are incorrect' and 'hurts people emotions' instead of 'hurting people's emotions'. The range is adequate for a basic transactional letter, allowing the writer to convey their message, but it lacks less common or precise lexical items. This matches the descriptors for a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional or dependent clauses in 'I would appreciate it if you could print...'. However, there are notable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'information... are incorrect' and tense or structural flaws like 'currently 750 soldiers work in Indian army instead of 550 you mentioned'. Punctuation errors are also present, such as spaces before commas. These errors occasionally disrupt flow, placing the grammar at a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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