Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-31

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 5.0)

Dear Mr James

I am a tenant of apartment number 4A. I moved to this apartment four months ago, and I am enjoying my stay here. This is a spacious apartment with all the modern facilities; however. there is a recuring problem that I am facing everyday.

My office time is from 1pm to 9pm which is not usual compared with other offices, and every night I am the last person coming from office in our building. As a result, I never get a convenient parking spot. However, there are some days when I find all parking spots are taken. Which is quite surprising since every apartment is

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 108 words long. Furthermore, the letter is incomplete; it cuts off mid-sentence at the end, meaning the final bullet point regarding a solution for the landlord is entirely missing. While the situation is described and the impact is explained, the failure to complete the task and the significant under-length penalty severely impact the score. To improve, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are addressed and that you reach the required word count by fully developing your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter begins with a clear introduction, but the logical progression is interrupted by the abrupt ending. The use of cohesive devices like 'however' and 'as a result' is appropriate, but the text lacks sufficient paragraphing to separate the different requirements of the task. Because the letter is unfinished, it is difficult to assess the overall flow and structure. To improve, ensure that each bullet point is addressed in a separate, well-developed paragraph and that the letter reaches a natural conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with phrases like 'spacious apartment', 'modern facilities', and 'convenient parking spot' being used correctly. However, there is a spelling error ('recuring' instead of 'recurring') and the range of vocabulary is limited. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise and varied vocabulary related to housing and parking issues, and ensure that your spelling is accurate throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as the punctuation error 'however. there' and the fragment 'Which is quite surprising since every apartment is'. The sentence structure is generally understandable, but the errors in punctuation and sentence completion detract from the overall quality. To improve, focus on sentence boundaries and ensure that your complex sentences are grammatically complete. Proofreading for basic punctuation and spelling errors would also be beneficial.

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

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