Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-13

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 / madam

i am writing to express my dissatisfaction that your article you wrote in our town is a fake information. You said that our coastal in our town is polluted by garbage and human wastes. but you did not see by your own eyes. You just interviewed some of the peole who did not live in that particular area. This is due to your actions that my people in our town bashed online because of you fake information spread online. Please be careful what you written . Your company magazine is so popular in our city so this so unacceptable for us to spread fake new about our town. i think you should go by your own and see what is my talking about, and if you are wrong about please apologies to my town and in the pople who live in that area.

i look forward to hearing from you.

respectfully rhonick

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the central inaccuracy: the article claims the town’s coast is polluted by garbage and human waste, and you explain that this has led to residents being criticised online. You also suggest the magazine should visit the area and apologise if its report is wrong. However, the response only partly fulfils the task: the correction is not stated clearly as a fact, and the importance of accurate reporting is mostly implied through the online backlash rather than explained. The request to “go by your own” is also unclear about what action the magazine should take. State the correct condition of the coast directly, explain the effect on the town’s reputation or tourism, and make a specific request such as publishing a correction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter follows a recognisable order: it raises the complaint, describes the consequences, and ends with a proposed response and a closing. This gives the reader a basic sense of purpose. However, most of the content is placed in one long paragraph, so the correction, its impact, and your request are not clearly separated. Connections between ideas are sometimes awkward or repetitive, as in “This is due to your actions” and “so this so unacceptable.” Use separate paragraphs for the inaccurate claim and its consequences, then for the action you want the editor to take. Clearer linking phrases such as “As a result” and “Therefore” would also make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for a complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “polluted,” “interviewed,” and “apologise,” which helps communicate the topic and your concern. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate enough to make parts difficult to understand. For example, “a fake information” is not a natural expression, and “my people in our town bashed online” does not clearly describe the harm caused. “Fake new” is also imprecise in this context. Aim for accurate, formal phrases such as “inaccurate information,” “residents were criticised online,” and “false report.” Check spelling and word forms, especially “people,” “news,” and “apology.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas in longer sentences, for example when explaining how the article affected local residents, and the reader can generally identify your main complaint. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence formation, verb forms, articles, and punctuation. Examples include “your article you wrote,” “You said that our coastal,” and “what you written”; these make the intended meaning less clear. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, and several sentences run together without appropriate punctuation. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then join related ideas with controlled clauses. For instance: “The article stated that our coastline was polluted, but this is not true.”

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

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