Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-28
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
You live in a small apartment building with a parking lot in back, and you often cannot find an empty parking space when you get home from work.
Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter
• describe the situation.
• explain why it bothers you.
• suggest something the landlord could do to solve the problem.You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:Dear ____
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear Smith,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the parking space that you provided at the back of my apartment.
I am working in the morning shift from 9AM to 5AM. When I come home from work in the evening, and it was quite hard to find appropriate space to park my car. it is not only wastage of time but also includes many efforts to find suitable parking.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 71 words long. Consequently, the task is not fully addressed. While you have attempted to describe the situation and explain why it is bothersome, the ideas are underdeveloped due to the brevity of the letter. You also failed to provide a clear suggestion for the landlord to solve the problem, which is a key requirement of the prompt. To improve, you must expand on each bullet point with more detail and ensure you meet the length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is very short, making it difficult to assess your ability to manage paragraphing and cohesive devices effectively. There is a basic attempt at logical progression, but the lack of length prevents the development of a coherent structure. The sentences are somewhat disjointed, and there is a lack of linking words to connect your ideas smoothly. To improve, focus on using transition signals such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition' to link your sentences and ensure your letter follows a clear, logical flow from the introduction to the conclusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is functional but quite limited. You use basic phrases like 'hard to find' and 'wastage of time'. While these are understandable, they do not demonstrate the range required for a higher band score. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'includes many efforts', which is not natural English. To improve, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'inconvenience', 'limited availability', or 'allocate'. Expanding your range of descriptive language will help you express your dissatisfaction more effectively and professionally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains several grammatical errors that affect the clarity of your writing. For example, 'I am working in the morning shift' should be 'I work the morning shift', and 'it was quite hard' should be 'it is quite hard' to maintain consistent tense. Additionally, the sentence 'it is not only wastage of time but also includes many efforts' is grammatically awkward and lacks proper structure. You should focus on using a mix of simple and complex sentence structures and proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency to improve your accuracy.
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