Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-14

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 Sir/Ma'am

I am owner of the flat no.501 in your building. I purchase

this apartment last month and now I moved here. Since we were living here from last one month. We have been facing some issues in the water supply and some minor logging in sewage system.

When all these problems comes notice to me. I immediately call to society office from there i get to know that I have to connect with the building manager for my problem. I just want you to call a plumber to visit my apartment and clear the logging in the sewage and also fix the supply by checking the pipe.

I want you to visit my apartment so you check the problem and fix it. Before it kindly visit to see the real problem. You can also come alongside the plumber while he or she working to make sure they are working well and right.

Yours faithfully

Gurman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points from the prompt: it describes the problems in the apartment (water supply issues and sewage clogging), suggests what should be done (calling a plumber to fix the pipes and clear the system), and asks the manager to visit. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, particularly regarding the request for a visit and fixing the issues. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a building manager, opening with 'Dear Sir/Ma'am' and closing correctly, though the content leans towards Band 6 due to its somewhat basic elaboration and limited expansion of the prompt requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression from introducing the apartment and the problem to proposing solutions and requesting a visit. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak; the letter is compressed into only two large paragraphs where distinct points are mixed together. Cohesive devices are minimal, and referencing is sometimes awkward, such as 'When all these problems comes notice to me' leading abruptly into the next sentence. Overall, the organization is clear enough to follow easily, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'apartment', 'plumber', 'sewage system', and 'building manager'. There are, however, several notable lexical errors and unnatural word choices, such as 'I am owner' (missing article), 'purchase' instead of 'purchased', 'from last one month' instead of 'for the last month', and 'logging' instead of 'clogging' or 'blockage'. While these errors are noticeable and detract from precision, the meaning is generally communicated without causing significant misunderstanding, placing the lexicon securely at Band 5.0 to 5.5, rounded to 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms, such as 'Since we were living here from last one month, we have been facing...'. Grammatical accuracy is inconsistent, with frequent errors including tense misuse ('I purchase this apartment last month and now I moved here'), subject-verb agreement ('problems comes'), and missing articles ('owner of the flat', 'to society office'). Although these errors occur frequently throughout the text, they rarely impede overall communication. The command of grammar aligns closely with the Band 5 descriptors.

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

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