Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-30

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 Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my concern regarding the ongoing shortage of parking space in the lot behind our apartment building.

As a resident, I usually struggle to secure a parking space when I return home in the evening. Although parking space is primarily intended for the residents, it's often completely occupied. This may be because some tenants own more than one vehicle, while visitors use the same space for parking.

This situation has become increasingly inconvenient, particularly after a long, tiring day at work. I often have to drive across the neighbourhood for several minutes to find a suitable parking space. On some occasions, I even have had to leave my car on other streets because of the unavailability of space, which is not only difficult

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student has successfully covered all bullet points required by the task prompt: describing the situation regarding parking shortages in the apartment building, explaining why it is inconvenient, and suggesting a solution. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter to a landlord. However, the response falls short of the word count requirement, containing only 131 words compared to the minimum of 150 words. Because the length requirement was not met, the score for Task Achievement is negatively impacted despite the adequate content and development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a clear overall logical organization, moving smoothly from the salutation and opening statement of purpose into detailed explanations and concluding with the unfinished final thought. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the description of the problem and its consequences. Cohesive devices like 'Although', 'while', and 'particularly' are used effectively to connect clauses. Referencing is generally clear, with phrases like 'This situation' linking back to the preceding sentences. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for a formal letter. Phrases such as 'express my concern', 'ongoing shortage', and 'primarily intended' show a good command of functional language. There are some attempts at less common lexical items, and word choice is mostly accurate. Spelling and word formation are correct throughout the provided text. While the vocabulary is not particularly extensive or sophisticated, it successfully conveys the intended meaning without causing any communication difficulties for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer employs a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses effectively ('Although parking space is primarily intended...', 'This may be because some tenants...'). Grammatical control is generally sound across the majority of the sentences. There is a noticeable error in the final incomplete sentence ('I even have had to leave'), but overall, the structures used are accurate and punctuation is handled well. The errors present do not impede communication, demonstrating a solid foundation in grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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