Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-19

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 Sir or Madam,

I am writing to report a leaking tap in the bathroom of my apartment, where I am currently residing. I have been experiencing this problem for the last few days. I have tried turning off the tap several times and have also attempted to fix it myself, but it continues to leak.

Although I initially believed that it was a minor issue, I have now found that the tap is completely broken. Therefore, I believe that replacing it is the best solution. The constant leakage is also increasing my water bill because of excessive water consumption, so I would appreciate it if you could arrange for it to be repaired as soon as possible.

I would be happy for you to visit my apartment to inspect the problem. However, please let me know at least four hours in advance so that I can make sure to be available, as I currently have a busy work schedule.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Manish

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The candidate's response is problematic because it addresses a completely different topic from the one specified in the task instructions. The prompt explicitly asks the student to write a letter to their landlord about a lack of parking spaces in the apartment building's parking lot. However, the student writes about a leaking tap in the bathroom. Consequently, the candidate fails to describe the parking situation, explain why it bothers them, or suggest solutions related to parking. Because the response is entirely off-topic regarding the prompt requirements, it cannot achieve a passing score for task achievement. The communication is completely misaligned with the task prompt, resulting in a low score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

Despite being off-topic, the letter itself is well-organised and follows a logical structure. The writer uses clear paragraphing, moving smoothly from the main issue to the solution and finally to the arrangements for a visit. Cohesive devices such as 'Although I initially believed', 'Therefore', and 'However' are used appropriately and naturally to connect ideas. The introduction and conclusion are standard for formal letter-writing ('Dear Sir or Madam' and 'Yours faithfully'). While the content does not match the prompt, the internal organisation, logical progression, and cohesion of the text demonstrate a reasonable control of discourse markers and paragraphing, which places it comfortably in the mid-range for this specific criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used throughout the letter is adequate and natural for describing a household maintenance issue. The student successfully employs vocabulary such as 'residing', 'excessive water consumption', 'arrange for it to be repaired', and 'inspect the problem'. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede understanding. While the range of vocabulary is somewhat restricted to the specific context of a plumbing repair rather than the required parking topic, the language used is precise, natural, and accurately conveys the intended message, showing a good level of functional lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The text demonstrates a good variety of sentence structures, including complex sentences such as 'Although I initially believed that it was a minor issue, I have now found that the tap is completely broken' and 'However, please let me know at least four hours in advance so that I can make sure to be available, as I currently have a busy work schedule.' Grammatical accuracy is high, with reliable control over verb tenses, modal verbs, and clause structures. There are no noticeable grammatical or punctuation errors in the text, and the majority of sentences are completely error-free, reflecting a solid command of English grammar.

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

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