Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-03

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 Raman,

How are you? It's been a long time since we last spoke, and I hope you're hale and hearty. I wanted to share some amazing news to you that I have recently rented a property near Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh for the entire summer season.

It is a magnificent independent detached house, which is situated right opposite the lake. This amazing location provides a mesmerising view, especially during early mornings and late evenings. The house has two floors and three bedrooms, along with attached bathrooms and a separate kitchen on each floor. There is a huge terrace which is beautifully designed to hold rooftop parties for the guests. This complete property has contemporary architecture with subtle lighting, and unique interiors to provide a modern look, which is absolutely admired by guests these days.

As you know, I already run three Airbnb properties, and this is my fourth rental property, for which I've been waiting since a long time. Currently, I've listed this property and working on upgradations of furntiture and few beds so that I can host house parties and families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

You have addressed the first two bullet points well by describing the house and your activities. However, the letter is incomplete as you failed to include the final bullet point: inviting your friend to visit. This is a significant omission for a General Training Task 1, which requires all parts of the prompt to be covered. While the tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, the failure to address the invitation means the task is not fully completed. To improve, ensure you check the prompt requirements against your final draft to confirm every instruction has been addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, with a clear introduction and a descriptive body paragraph. You use some cohesive devices such as 'which is situated' and 'along with' to link ideas within sentences. However, the transition between the description of the house and your business activities is somewhat abrupt. Paragraphing is used, but the final paragraph is quite short and lacks a concluding thought or a closing sign-off, which affects the overall flow of the letter. Using more varied linking words would help improve the progression of your ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using descriptive terms like 'magnificent', 'mesmerising', and 'contemporary architecture'. These choices are effective and appropriate for the context. There are some minor errors, such as 'upgradations' (which is not standard English; 'upgrading' or 'improvements' would be better) and 'furntiture' (spelling error). Despite these, the vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey your meaning clearly. To reach a higher band, focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring accurate spelling of common terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'It is a magnificent independent detached house, which is situated right opposite the lake.' Most sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'share some amazing news to you' (should be 'with you') and 'waiting since a long time' (should be 'for a long time'). Punctuation is generally accurate, though the letter lacks a formal closing, which is a standard convention for this task type. The errors present do not impede communication.

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

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