Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-03

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 manager,

I hope you are doing well. I am the resident of Hills Property at Kitchener since last year.

I am writing this letter to inform you regarding the issue we have been facing since past couple days. We have some water licking problem in our unit, which is located at 2nd floor of C wing. I felt something has been broken on the top floor drainage, as a result our living area have water dripping. It was started as few drops and gradually increases, I would really like you to visit the apartment and take the adviceble steps to resolve the problem as soon as you can.

Thank you for your understanding

Best Regards,

Kiran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the main purpose of the letter, but it only partially covers the specific bullet points and suffers from significant limitations. Additionally, the length requirement is not met, as the response is thirty-three words short of the one hundred and fifty-word minimum. While you successfully described the problem of water dripping in your living area and asked the manager to visit the apartment, the part regarding what should be done about it is underdeveloped. You merely mentioned that you would like the manager to take steps to resolve the problem, lacking specific suggestions like contacting a plumber or inspecting the ceiling. To reach a higher level, all bullet points need full development, and the word count threshold must be satisfied.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement that fully satisfies the lower band requirements and shows elements of the next level. Your ideas are arranged logically, beginning with a polite salutation, followed by the context of your residency, the issue itself, a request for a visit, and a standard sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate your introductory remarks from the details of the repair issue and your closing request. Cohesive devices are generally managed well, though referencing occasionally feels a bit mechanical, such as the transitions between sentences. To push further into higher bands, paragraph transitions could be smoother, and cohesive relationships between your ideas could be managed with greater flexibility.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary range is limited but minimally adequate for the task, resulting in noticeable errors that occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader. You use some appropriate terms related to housing and complaints, such as 'resident', 'unit', and 'apartment'. However, there are notable word choice, word form, and spelling errors throughout the text. For instance, 'water licking problem' should be 'water leaking problem', and 'adviceble steps' contains a spelling error and incorrect word form for 'advisable steps'. Furthermore, phrases like 'since past couple days' lack necessary prepositions or articles. To improve your lexical score, you should focus on accurate word formation, precise collocations, and expanding your range of less common vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as when you combine clauses using subordinate conjunctions like 'as a result'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that indicate a struggle with structural control. For example, 'I am the resident of Hills Property at Kitchener since last year' misuses the present tense with 'since', which requires the present perfect tense. Similarly, 'on the top floor drainage' contains a prepositional error, and 'our living area have water dripping' suffers from a subject-verb agreement error, as 'area' is singular. Punctuation around your closing sentences also needs attention. To achieve a higher band, you need to produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences and demonstrate better control over complex grammatical patterns and verb tenses.

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

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