Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-06

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 landlord,

I am writing to express my concern regarding the raising issue of parking place.

To explain it in detail, as you know that I am living in the house since long period, therefore I am facing the challenges to park my car after paying for it. Earlier, the situation was not worsen, but since the new tenants come and all of guys have a transport. It seems difficult to segregate the parking. In my case, I usually have a night shift. Hence, I cannot disturb anyone in meanwhile the night. Fortunately, I have to park it on the road.

Surprisingly, a day ago, I got a ticket, around 500$ to park on the roadside. I astonished when I got a notice, which has clearly mentioned that if I park it next time. They, although, will seize my own vehicle. Perhaps, I believe that new comers should be park somewhere else or they can utilize other resources.

I hope this suggestion

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the situation, explaining the impact, and suggesting a solution. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The explanation of the parking issue is clear, but the suggestion is incomplete, as the letter ends abruptly with 'I hope this suggestion'. This lack of closure and the incomplete final sentence prevent the response from fully developing the ideas. While the tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord, the overall task completion is hampered by the unfinished nature of the text.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, 'To explain it in detail' is a somewhat forced way to begin the second paragraph. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes inaccurate, such as the misuse of 'Hence' and 'Although' in the third paragraph. The abrupt ending significantly impacts the overall coherence, as the final thought is left hanging, making the progression of the letter feel incomplete.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices or incorrect collocations, such as 'raising issue' instead of 'rising issue', 'since long period' instead of 'for a long time', and 'all of guys' which is too informal for this context. The phrase 'I astonished' is grammatically incorrect (should be 'I was astonished'). While the meaning is generally clear, the limited range and frequent errors in word choice prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include tense inconsistencies ('since the new tenants come' instead of 'have come'), article misuse ('the parking place'), and sentence fragments or run-on structures. The final sentence is incomplete, which is a major grammatical failure. While the reader can understand the writer's intent, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction is noticeable and occasionally impedes the flow of the text.

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