Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-21

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have rented a house by a lake for the summer.

Write a letter to a friend. In your letter
• describe the house.
• describe how you are spending your time there.
• invite your friend to come and visit.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ____

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sukh

I hope you are doing well. I write this letter to inform you that changes my house and i shifted in a new house. My new house is at the quiet place . Actually, the reason for changing the house is that there was to much noise present and you know that i like the quiet places. Moreover, my new house is near your home, i can visit your home easily and feel connected to you. My new house have two bedrooms, two bathrooms attached with the rooms, as well as one kitchen and some out side area in which i have small garden. The house is painted with my favourite colour pink. I am happy in this house as it is at the quiet place. I an read books here and can study easily. Furthermore, you know i love gardening and this house have a small garden outside so i spend some time in the garden. I want to invite you on dinner in my new house. I hope you will visit soon. I will wait for you on sunday.

Hope to see you soon

Best wishes

Ramanjeet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the house is described, your activities are mentioned, and an invitation is extended. However, the content is slightly confused as the prompt asks for a house by a lake, but you describe it as being near your friend's home. This inconsistency suggests a misunderstanding of the task scenario. While the bullet points are covered, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding the 'quiet place' aspect, which is mentioned three times. To improve, ensure you strictly follow the provided scenario and expand on your descriptions with more specific details rather than repeating the same points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into a logical sequence, moving from the house description to activities and finally the invitation. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, you use 'Moreover' and 'Furthermore' to link sentences, but the flow between ideas remains a bit disjointed. Paragraphing is also absent; the entire letter is written as one block of text. To reach a higher band, you should use clear paragraph breaks to separate the different sections of your letter and vary your linking words to create a more natural flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple adjectives like 'quiet', 'small', and 'happy'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'shifted in a new house' (should be 'moved into') and 'attached with the rooms' (should be 'en-suite' or 'attached to'). To improve, try to incorporate more descriptive language related to housing and leisure activities. Using more precise vocabulary will help convey your message with greater impact and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('My new house have'), tense inconsistencies ('I write this letter to inform you that changes my house'), and article usage ('at the quiet place'). While you attempt some complex structures, they are often marred by these errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically verb tenses and the correct use of articles, before attempting more complex grammatical forms.

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

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