Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-21

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 hope you are doing well. I am writing this to inform you about the current problem I am facing to park my car. The parking lot i was given is never empty.

I work 9:00Am to 8:00Pm Monday to Friday. In morning there is no car but in evening after 6pm it is not so i have to park my car on the street. I received a ticket for that even after paying for parking.

could you please make start charging tickets for those parking on someone else's spot.

It would be very greatful if everyone starts following the rule as the winter is coming.

Thank you for understanding.

Best regards,

xyz (Apt 207)

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the central problem—the space assigned to you is occupied—and explain a practical consequence: you have to park on the street and received a ticket despite paying for parking. You also make a request for the landlord to act. However, the response only partly develops the task: it does not clearly explain why the situation is especially troublesome beyond the ticket, and the proposed solution, “make start charging tickets,” is unclear about who would issue them or how the parking spaces would be monitored. The response is also 33 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail you can provide. Add specific context and a clear, workable request, such as assigning numbered spaces or enforcing parking rules.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: it introduces the parking problem, gives your work schedule and its consequences, then makes a request and closes politely. This makes the main message understandable. Paragraph breaks also help separate the points. However, the progression is quite abrupt: “In morning there is no car but in evening after 6pm it is not so” does not clearly explain whose cars occupy the space, and the request follows without a transition or explanation. The short paragraphs and limited linking make the letter feel underdeveloped. Use clearer connections such as “As a result” before describing the ticket, and group the situation and its effects before presenting a specific solution.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “parking lot,” “street,” “ticket,” and “winter.” The tone is mostly suitable for a letter to a landlord, and the reader can understand the main concern. However, the range is limited, and several phrases are inaccurate or awkward, which makes the request less precise. For example, “the parking lot i was given is never empty” could more clearly refer to your assigned space, while “make start charging tickets” does not express the intended enforcement action naturally. There are also spelling and capitalization slips, including “greatful” and “i.” Choose precise parking-related terms and check spelling to make the letter clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate using mostly simple sentence forms, with some attempts to combine ideas, such as “I received a ticket for that even after paying for parking.” The meaning is generally recoverable, but there are several errors in sentence construction, verb forms, articles, and punctuation. For example, “I work 9:00Am to 8:00Pm” needs a preposition and a more complete time expression, while “In morning there is no car” is missing an article. The sentence beginning “In morning” also joins contrasting ideas unclearly. Capitalization and sentence starts are inconsistent. Practise accurate basic patterns first, then use a few controlled complex sentences to explain the cause and consequence of the problem.

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