Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-26

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 or Madam,

I am writting this letter to you just to inform you made a mistake in a magazine which dicate that the article about our town is not properly right. In this article you write our local train is closed on weekends but I checked station is open for all seven days and train is run on their normall schedule time.

It is essential to correct this content which I was read. Many of visitors also read this magazine because of this information many tourists may delay or cancel their plans to go anywhere on weekends. This is really bad for our local shops and hotels if no one is visit their on their weekend.

I think you should write another article about the misunderstanding regarding train schedule.It is better if everyone know about train is running all the days.

Thank you for your help,

your Faithfully

Simranjit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The candidate successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the error in the magazine is identified and corrected by stating that the local train is actually open seven days a week on its normal schedule rather than closed on weekends. Second, the importance of correct information is explained by pointing out how inaccurate details can discourage tourists and harm local businesses such as shops and hotels. Finally, a suggestion is made that the magazine should publish another article to clarify the misunderstanding. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an editor, and all parts of the task are adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a clear overall structure with an appropriate opening and closing, and the information is divided into distinct paragraphs that correspond to the prompt requirements. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by abrupt transitions and mechanical referencing, such as 'content which I was read' and 'their on their weekend'. Cohesive devices are somewhat limited and repetitive. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be smoother. These limitations place the performance firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, warranting a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'writting' (spelling), 'dicate' instead of indicate, and 'normall schedule time'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'misunderstanding' and 'essential', but frequent inaccuracies in spelling and word formation prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Communication is not significantly impeded, but the lexical control aligns best with Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The candidate attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Many of visitors also read this magazine because of this information many tourists may delay or cancel their plans...'. However, this sentence exhibits a run-on structure due to missing punctuation. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense and agreement issues like 'train is run' instead of trains are run, and 'everyone know' instead of everyone knows. While these errors do not completely obstruct meaning, their frequency prevents the writer from achieving a Band 6.0, making Band 5.0 a more accurate reflection of grammatical control.

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

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