Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-02

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

I am writing this latter to complain about inappropriate information in your magazine about my home townEdmonton which was publised in july month magazine .

In this magazine they have mentioned that LRT service in EDMONTON is irregular and fair of train service is very high .Basicaly i want to draw your attention that LRT service in my city is providing multiple trains at specific interval during day time .One more thing is fair of this transportation is quite reasonable .

I have been using this service from last couple of months and i do not find any issue with it .Secondaly in your magazine you have mention that Edmonton fort closed in winter month due to heavy snowfall .In my opinion it is not true because last week my friend has been go there and visited the fort .

So it is your upmost responcibility to give accurate information in your magazine .however people canselled their trip because of wrong informaton

from my perspective you should do sound work to get correct information through reliable source then and then publish .because ultimetly would give wrong impression of your magazine.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task, meeting the basic requirements of a letter to the editor. You successfully cover all three bullet points by correcting the magazine information about the LRT service and Edmonton Fort, explaining why accuracy matters for the magazine's reputation and readers, and suggesting that they use reliable sources. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the correction regarding the LRT and the fort is clear, but the explanation of consequences and your suggestions are somewhat limited and repetitive, lacking further elaboration or extended support. To achieve a higher band, you would need to extend and fully develop all of your ideas with greater detail and clarity throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter shows an overall coherent arrangement and a logical intent, with distinct paragraphs addressing the introduction, body points, and conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. There is a lack of smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs, and some referencing is unclear, such as starting sentences with abrupt connectors like 'So' or 'however' without proper punctuation or context. Additionally, some cohesive devices are overused or used inaccurately. To improve, you should ensure that sentences are linked more naturally and that paragraph transitions guide the reader smoothly through your arguments and suggestions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary range is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message about the incorrect magazine article. You attempt less common vocabulary such as 'inappropriate information', 'reasonable', and 'upmost responsibility', but these attempts are accompanied by some inaccuracy and spelling errors, such as 'latter' instead of 'letter', 'publised', 'fair' instead of 'fare', 'Secondaly', and 'responcibility'. Word choice errors like 'sound work' also appear. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict your score. To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary with greater precision, better control of collocations, and accurate spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms in your letter. There are some attempts at complex structures, but they contain noticeable errors in grammar, verb tenses, and punctuation. Examples include capitalization issues ('edmonton', 'EDMONTON'), incorrect prepositions ('in july month magazine', 'from last couple of months'), and awkward verb phrases ('my friend has been go there'). Punctuation is also weak, particularly regarding sentence boundaries and missing commas after introductory phrases. While your meaning remains mostly clear and these errors rarely impede communication, the presence of frequent grammatical slips prevents you from reaching a higher band. Working on complex sentence accuracy, article use, and tense consistency will help improve this area.

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

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