Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-06

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 5.0)

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to inform you that my kitchen cabinet needs to repair. Its Screw Loosen and cabinet fell down yesterday. I was cooking at that time and standing near . Apparently, I am safe nothing happen to me. As i was thinking before that it might be loosed but I ignored it. According to me only screw needs to be change and tighten up, also handle broke too. Whenever you get time please visit my place look up and fix the issue. I hope you will reach back with me as soon as possible.

Yours Regards,

Harsimran Seehra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

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 requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The description of the incident is brief, and the request for a visit lacks formal structure. To improve, you should expand on the details of the damage and provide a more formal, polite tone suitable for a request to a building manager. Because the response is 40 words short, it fails to fully develop the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is short and lacks clear paragraphing. While the ideas follow a logical sequence, the transition between sentences is abrupt. There is a lack of cohesive devices; for instance, the letter relies on simple, choppy sentences rather than linking words or phrases to connect ideas. To improve, use transition words such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' to create a better flow. The lack of a proper closing structure also affects the overall coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. There are several errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'needs to repair' (should be 'needs repairing' or 'needs to be repaired') and 'nothing happen to me' (should be 'nothing happened to me'). The phrase 'reach back with me' is also non-standard in this context. To achieve a higher band, you should use more precise vocabulary related to home maintenance and formal correspondence, such as 'malfunction', 'urgent', or 'rectify'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'Its Screw Loosen' (should be 'Its screws have loosened'), 'As i was thinking' (capitalization error), and 'handle broke too' (missing subject/article). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. The errors in verb tense and subject-verb agreement are noticeable and occasionally make the meaning slightly difficult to follow. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for tense consistency would greatly improve your accuracy.

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

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