Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-23

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 6.5)

Dear Building Manager,

Greetings for the day!

I am writing this letter to inform you that I am suffering with few problems in the apartment. In addition, I have a problem not only with the kitchen lighting but also with the shower water. Recently, I was making dinner in the kitchen, and suddenly, the lights was flickering one by one many times. However, I was using shower with hot water and suddenly I felt cold water that made me shivering.

Since I live here for a quite long time, I never experienced this issues before. I would suggest you should contact plumbing expert to check my water heater, whereas you should contact electrician to check all my lights as there might be a chance to get a shock.

Also, could you please visit the house and check by yourself before you want to contact any person? I hope you understand my problems and act accordingly.

Please get back to me as soon as possible and let me know which time is perfect for you to come and check.

Yours faithfully,

Jainish Chauhan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing the problems with the lighting and water, suggesting solutions (plumber and electrician), and requesting a visit from the manager. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, and the purpose is clear throughout. To improve, you could provide more specific details about the apartment (such as the unit number) to make the request more realistic. Additionally, while the ideas are relevant, they could be slightly more developed by explaining the urgency of the situation more clearly, which would help in achieving a higher band score for task development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for the issues and solutions, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices like 'In addition', 'However', and 'Since', which help the flow of information. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'whereas you should contact'. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the progression between sentences is smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure is easy to follow, which is a key requirement for this band level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to communicate your needs effectively. Phrases like 'flickering one by one' and 'plumbing expert' are relevant to the context. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'suffering with few problems' (should be 'experiencing a few problems') and 'made me shivering' (should be 'made me shiver'). To reach a higher band, focus on more precise collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. Using a wider variety of descriptive adjectives and more sophisticated verbs would also enhance your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'the lights was flickering' (subject-verb agreement), 'I live here for a quite long time' (tense error; should be 'have lived'), and 'check by yourself' (should be 'check it yourself'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage (specifically present perfect for duration) will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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