Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-14

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 hope you are doing well.I have a concern on a regularly basics regarding a parking spot which I am not finding after coming from work.

Usually, when I come from my work at 4 pm I cannot find any vacant space for my car to park.I have to drive my car for at least 10 mins to find the parking slot and still I am not getting it.

The reason why I mailed you is there are so may students are living in the apartment calling their friend to join them everyday which are taking tenants parking spots.They usually join them after 2 pm and leaves around 8 pm.

I request you to arrange special visitor parking or increase the slots so that no face the issue regarding it.so, there will be no problems regarding this in future as well

Kind Regards,

Akshit

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 response is slightly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which impacts the overall score. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the explanation regarding students could be expanded to better illustrate the frustration caused. To improve, ensure you meet the word count by providing more descriptive detail about the impact on your daily routine, which would help in fully developing your ideas as required for higher bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used to separate the situation, the cause, and the proposed solution. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the problem and the suggestion is abrupt. Improving the flow by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in light of this') would enhance the logical progression of your argument and help the reader follow your points more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several awkward collocations, such as 'on a regularly basics' (should be 'on a regular basis') and 'calling their friend' (should be 'inviting their friends'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'find' and 'problem'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to housing and parking issues, such as 'inconvenience', 'unauthorized', 'allocate', or 'remedy'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder clarity. Examples include 'there are so may students are living' (incorrect verb structure) and 'no face the issue' (missing subject). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several missing spaces after periods. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring correct sentence construction will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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