Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-13

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 sir,

I am writing this letter to bring attention towards the apartment parking. I am living in the apartment number 16 Dunley Crescent with my sister since the last 3 months. As for the apartment lease we are authorised for one parking slot. However, from the last month I cannot find any empty support to park my car. Because some the parking spaces are covered with snow.

Moreover, last week I parked my car on the street and i got a parking ticket. Therefore, the situation is very harsh, its hard for the all the apartment members to handle it. So, I request you to clear the snow from the parking supports and put authorised parking signs.

Yours faithfully,

Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the situation is described, the impact is explained, and a solution is proposed. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The explanation of the problem is brief, and the suggestions could be more detailed to fully satisfy the task requirements. Because the length requirement was not met, the response is limited in its ability to demonstrate a full development of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear progression from the introduction to the problem description and the final request. Paragraphing is present, though the brevity of the text makes the structure feel somewhat sparse. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The overall flow is clear, and the reader can easily follow the writer's intent despite the limited length.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'bring attention towards' and 'parking supports' are slightly unnatural or inaccurate in this context. There is a reliance on basic vocabulary, and the range is limited. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations related to housing and parking issues, such as 'designated parking space' or 'clearing the snow accumulation'. The current range is sufficient for communication but does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am living... since the last 3 months' (should be present perfect continuous: 'have been living'), 'from the last month' (should be 'for the last month'), and 'its hard for the all the apartment members' (redundant 'the'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the errors in tense and article usage are frequent enough to be noticeable, though they do not prevent the reader from understanding the message.

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

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