Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-08

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 this letter to complain you that i am facing a parking problem from a month.

To make it clear, when i return home from office and went to parking place there are already many cars and cycle parked and there is no space for my car. So, i have to park my car far away in private lot where i have to pay. apart form this, its far so i have to walk there which is time consuming process for me.

i want to request you that if that cycle could remove as no-one use it. then , there will be enough space for me.

Looking to hear from you as soon as possible.

thank you,

Mandeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the situation, explaining the impact, and suggesting a solution. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the development of your ideas. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the brevity prevents you from fully expanding on the situation or providing a more formal and persuasive tone. To improve, you should elaborate on the specific difficulties you face and provide more detail regarding your proposed solution to ensure you meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more comprehensive command of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, moving from the problem to the impact and finally to the suggestion. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and somewhat mechanical. For example, the transition 'apart form this' is used, but the overall flow between sentences is disjointed. Paragraphing is also insufficient; the entire body of the letter is presented as a single block of text. To achieve a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition') and ensure that each main point is clearly separated into its own paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is functional but basic. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'parking problem', 'parking place', and 'park my car'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions appropriate for a formal letter. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety in word choice limits your score. To improve, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to the context, such as 'inconvenience', 'availability', 'designated', or 'alternative arrangements', and ensure you pay closer attention to spelling, such as 'apart from' instead of 'apart form'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb tense ('i am facing... from a month'), article usage ('in private lot'), and sentence structure ('if that cycle could remove'). The letter relies almost exclusively on simple sentence structures. To improve, you need to demonstrate better control over complex sentence forms and ensure subject-verb agreement. For example, instead of 'if that cycle could remove', you should use the passive voice: 'if the unused bicycles could be removed'. Proofreading for basic errors like capitalization of 'I' and verb forms will also significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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