Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-26

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have a problem in your apartment that needs repairs.

Write a letter to the building manager. In your letter
• describe the problem.
• say what you think should be done about it.
• ask the building manager to visit your apartment to see the problem.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear manager,

I hope you are doing great. I am writing this letter because I faced a problem in this apartment. I live here from so long time before. So I am writing my problem below.

Firstly, the fire alarm bell any time without any reason. I make my food, or I am watching a movie. People were sleeping last night its again start belling then everyone got awake and all started running because they felt it had fire emergency. Moreover, fire cars were also arrived at building.

Secondly, you need to change this fire alarm soon as possible. It's giving emergency alert.

Lastly, please visit my apartment to see that problem. why this alarm started a bell without any reason.

I am waiting for your response.

Sincerely,

Deep.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: describing the problem, suggesting a solution, and requesting a visit. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The description of the problem is somewhat repetitive and lacks detail, and the tone is inconsistent for a formal letter to a building manager. Because the response is under-length, the development of the ideas is limited, preventing a higher score. To improve, you should expand on the impact of the problem and provide more formal, polite language to ensure the request is persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter uses basic paragraphing to separate the different points, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the transition 'So I am writing my problem below'. The logical flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the sequence of events is confusing. While the overall arrangement is coherent enough to be understood, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive sentence structure limit the score. Using a wider variety of transition signals would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'fire cars' (instead of 'fire engines') and 'start belling' (instead of 'ringing' or 'sounding') indicate a lack of precision and collocation awareness. The word choice is generally simple and sometimes inappropriate for a formal request. There is little evidence of less common lexical items. To reach a higher band, you should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to maintenance and formal correspondence, and avoid repeating basic verbs like 'make' or 'start'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'I live here from so long time before' (should be 'I have lived here for a long time') and 'fire alarm bell any time' (missing verb). Tense usage is inconsistent, switching between present and past in ways that confuse the timeline of events. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage is essential.

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