Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-25

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 Paul,

Hi! i am Neha ,i live in rented apartment of your building my name is Neha . I am living here since last six months and i choose to live here since it has a parking lot which was convenient for me for parking prepose. But since last month i quite often not been able to find parking space anywhere in the parking which is bothering me a lot now. Finding new parking space is a task, when i get home from work its tiring to look for parking space. Please look into this matter and try to solve this issue. I choose to live in this apartment building because there was a parking space , if that requirement is not met then i have to look for somewhere else to live. I really enjoy living here since it's closer to my work place so i really do not want to shift somewhere else .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the situation is described, the impact is explained, and a request for a solution is made. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that the lack of parking is 'bothering' you, the explanation could be more detailed to better convey the urgency of the situation. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a landlord, though it leans slightly informal. To improve, ensure that each point is expanded with more specific detail or a clearer explanation of the consequences to fully satisfy the requirements of a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is written as a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the logical progression of ideas. IELTS letters should be structured with clear paragraphing—typically an introduction, a body paragraph for each bullet point, and a concluding sentence. The use of cohesive devices is quite limited, relying heavily on simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'but'. To improve, you should use a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'as a result') to connect your ideas more fluidly and organize your response into distinct paragraphs for each requirement of the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic terms like 'parking space' and 'parking lot' repeatedly. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'parking prepose' (likely meant 'parking purposes') and 'shift' (which is more commonly used for moving furniture or changing shifts, rather than moving house). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to housing and property management, and ensure that your word choices are accurate and natural in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('i live in rented apartment'), article usage ('in rented apartment'), and punctuation (missing spaces after commas and periods). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. For example, 'I am living here since last six months' should be 'I have been living here for the last six months.' Improving your control over verb tenses and sentence structure will significantly enhance the clarity and professionalism of your writing.

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

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