Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-24

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 Mr. Mctavish,

I am writting this letter to complain about the parking space at the back of my apartment building where I always go home from work that I do not have a spot to park my vehicle often.

This is becoming more irritating for me just because I go home late in the evening that every time that I will park my vehicle no space is left for me to park. I always go to neighbors where some of them will be going out to work just because they are night shift.

It really bothers me a lot on not having my own parking slot at the back of the apartment; hovever we always pay the amount of fee for homeowners association so our apartment building including the parking lot will be maintained at all times. But now we always adjust a lot for our vehicle but rather other people are not the ones who rent at the apartment taken the parking space.

I suggest that we have a association meeting of homeowners that will solve the problem on the parking slot of each household members in the apartment. I needed the board members to be hold accountable to the time and space that was being wasted on fixing a solution on the parking area that we have.

Kind regards,

Julian Kilayko

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you describe the shortage of spaces, explain that arriving home late makes it difficult to park, and propose a meeting to discuss a solution. The complaint is relevant and the reader can understand the main problem. However, some points are less fully developed than others. For example, the effect on you is mentioned generally, but you could explain the practical consequences, such as having to wait or park farther away. The proposed meeting is also broad; specify a concrete measure, such as assigning one space to each apartment or restricting use to residents. This would make the request clearer and more persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: the opening introduces the problem, the middle paragraphs explain its impact, and the final paragraph offers a solution. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages. Some connections between ideas, however, are awkward or unclear. In the second paragraph, the link between arriving late and asking neighbours who work night shifts is difficult to follow. The third paragraph also moves from paying association fees to outsiders using the spaces without a clear transition. Use more direct links, such as “As a result” or “In addition,” and make the relationship between each reason and the parking problem explicit. The closing is appropriate for a formal letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “parking slot,” “homeowners association,” “maintained,” and “accountable,” and the main message remains understandable. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “go home from work” does not clearly express arriving home, “adjust a lot for our vehicle” is unclear, and “taken the parking space” is not the natural way to describe non-residents occupying spaces. There are also spelling errors such as “writting” and “hovever.” Aim for common, precise collocations such as “return home,” “find a space,” and “spaces occupied by non-residents.” This will make the complaint sound clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can generally identify your main points. Some grammatical errors nevertheless make several sentences difficult to follow. For example, “I am writting this letter … where I always go home from work that I do not have a spot” combines clauses without a clear structure; “every time that I will park” uses an unsuitable future form; and “I needed the board members to be hold accountable” has errors in verb form and construction. Try separating long sentences and using a clear subject and verb in each clause: “When I arrive home late, the lot is usually full.” Review tense consistency, articles, and passive forms. More accurate complex sentences would improve clarity.

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

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