Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Building manager,

I hope you are doing well. My name is akashdeep Singh, I am living a apartment no. 12 at your building. I kindly want to let know i have issues in a washroom sink, sometimes it was automatically blocked and water did not go to the pipes it was stayed in a sink and it smells very bad in washroom and i do not have any other sink to use it as for handwash and brush, but after some time it was automatically released so i do not know what is the main issue with sink. The better way to find the issue to can you come in in the apartment and see what is going on I think if change the pipe of the sink at down side so it work in better but it was just my suggestion so please let me know when you are getting a chance to visit at apartment.

Thank You

Regards,

Akashdeep Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the problem is described, a suggestion for repair is offered, and a request for a visit is made. However, the tone is somewhat informal and the development of ideas is limited. The description of the sink issue is repetitive and lacks clarity, making it difficult for the reader to fully grasp the technical nature of the problem. While the task requirements are met, the response would benefit from more precise language and a more professional tone suitable for a formal letter to a building manager.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is written as a single block of text, which lacks appropriate paragraphing. This makes the flow of information feel cluttered. While there is a logical progression from the introduction to the problem description and the final request, the lack of paragraph breaks hinders the overall structure. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or misused, such as the repetitive use of 'it was' and 'and'. To improve, you should separate the introduction, the problem description, and the call to action into distinct paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'automatically blocked' and 'at down side'. The word choice is often repetitive, and the student struggles with collocations, such as 'do not have any other sink to use it as for handwash'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is a lack of precision in describing the maintenance issue. Expanding your vocabulary to include more specific terms related to household repairs would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses, articles, and sentence structure. For example, 'I am living a apartment' should be 'I am living in an apartment', and 'water did not go' should be 'water does not drain'. There are many run-on sentences where clauses are joined incorrectly, such as 'I kindly want to let know i have issues in a washroom sink, sometimes it was automatically blocked'. These errors are frequent and occasionally require the reader to re-read to understand the intended meaning. A greater focus on basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement is needed.

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

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