Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-10

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 6.0)

Dear Landlord,

I am writing this letter in order to express my inconvenience which is caused by the tenant who is living next door to me as you know I am living at second floor and my work starts at 6:00 am early in morning and I have to leave for work at 5:30 am as you know, I have 12 hours of shift and until I return back it’s already 6:30pm; since last week I am unable to find an empty spot of parking as the neighbours bought a new car and they acquire both the parking spots.

Moreover, they have access to parking in basement and their work is mostly in afternoons. So, if you just have a conversation with them. However, I tried to explain the issue but they neglected my words. It would be great if you just look into this matter so that they can use their downstairs parking.

Regards,

ABC

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points: describing the situation, explaining why it is a problem, and suggesting a solution. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. The explanation of why it bothers you is clear, but the tone is slightly informal for a letter to a landlord. To reach a higher band, ensure that the purpose of the letter is stated more formally at the beginning and that the suggestions are presented with more professional phrasing. While the task requirements are met, the overall development of the argument could be more sophisticated and structured to better reflect the conventions of a formal complaint letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into two paragraphs, which is a logical structure. However, the flow of ideas within the first paragraph is hindered by run-on sentences and a lack of clear punctuation. For example, the first paragraph is essentially one long, complex sentence that makes it difficult for the reader to follow the sequence of events. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'However', their placement is occasionally awkward, such as starting a sentence with 'However' when it does not contrast with the previous thought. Improving sentence boundaries and using a wider range of linking words would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your message effectively, such as 'inconvenience', 'neglected', and 'access'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'acquire both the parking spots' is not the most natural way to express that they are occupying the spaces; 'occupy' or 'take up' would be more precise. Additionally, 'return back' is redundant, as 'return' already implies going back. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise, formal collocations would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

Your writing shows a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect clarity. You struggle with article usage (e.g., 'at second floor' should be 'on the second floor') and prepositional phrases. There are also issues with run-on sentences, where multiple independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or conjunctions. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring each sentence has a clear structure will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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