Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-19

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 Mrs. Verma,

I hope you are doing well and I am writing this letter about my frustating problem who relates to your apartment, where I lived from two months ago. My apartment rent is very precious and that apartment not suitable for me as their high rent, because this apartment needs repairs like it is windows are completely break and it also, the doors are eaisly stucked and sometimes the door lock is not working properely.

I think you can repair the windows and doors of this apartment. Apart from this, the washroom walls are completely damaged with the water seepage and it is risky for me and my family.

So, I request to you, please visit to my apartment to see the problems and as soon as possible to tackle this hurdle. See to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Your faithfully

Yashandeep kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You successfully covered all parts of the task prompt, including describing the problems in the apartment (broken windows, stuck doors, water seepage in the washroom), stating what should be done (repairs), and asking the manager to visit. However, you fell slightly short of the 150-word minimum, containing 148 words. As a result of this under-length penalty, your Task Achievement score is capped. Furthermore, your opening statement contains some confusion regarding your living situation, stating you lived there from two months ago rather than for two months. To reach a higher band, ensure you meet the minimum word count and express your ideas more clearly and logically from the beginning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

Your letter has a discernible overall structure, including a salutation, body paragraphs for the issues, and a sign-off. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. For example, sentences are joined with repetitive conjunctions like 'and' rather than varied cohesive devices. Paragraphing is attempted, but ideas within the body are somewhat cluttered together—jumping from rent and doors to windows and washroom walls. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'frustating problem who relates to your apartment'. While the letter is divided into readable chunks, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, and referencing needs tighter control to achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You use a basic vocabulary that is minimally adequate for the task, with words like 'problem', 'repair', and 'walls'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors that hinder precision, such as 'frustating problem who relates to', 'precious' instead of expensive or high, and 'windows are completely break'. You also attempt less common phrases like 'tackle this hurdle', but the overall range remains restricted and affected by spelling errors ('frustating', 'eaisly', 'stucked', 'properely'). To improve, focus on accurate word forms, correct collocations, and expanding your range of descriptive adjectives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

Your letter shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I hope you are doing well and I am writing this letter...' and 'I think you can repair the windows...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including tense misuse ('where I lived from two months ago' instead of 'where I have been living for two months'), passive/active confusion ('it is windows are completely break'), and preposition errors ('request to you', 'visit to my apartment'). There are also awkward phrasings like 'See to you' at the end of a paragraph. While meaning is generally clear despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents you from reaching a higher band score.

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

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