Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-22

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 4.0)

Dear manager i requested you please visit the appartment.I requested you because your appartment needs construction.I think this appartment was constructed in 19th century.This building was getting old.There is a danger in this building because it is getting very old.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify a general concern—that the building is old and may be dangerous—and you ask the manager to visit. However, the letter does not describe a specific problem inside your apartment, such as a leak, damaged wall, or faulty appliance, and it does not explain what repair you want. The request is also very brief, so the manager has little information to act on. The response is 40 words, below the required 150, which leaves all three task points largely undeveloped. To improve, describe the location and effects of the damage, state the repair you expect, and politely request a convenient time for an inspection.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The ideas are related to the general topic of an ageing building, and the request to visit appears at the beginning. However, the information is not arranged into a clear letter progression: there is no developed description of the apartment problem followed by a proposed solution and a closing request. The repeated opening, “I requested you,” also makes the message feel circular rather than progressive. Use a simple sequence of paragraphs: explain the specific fault, describe its consequences and the repair needed, then ask the manager to inspect it. A suitable greeting and sign-off would also make the letter format clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

Your vocabulary communicates a basic concern through words such as “old,” “danger,” and “construction,” but the range is narrow and several choices are imprecise for a repair letter. “Your appartment needs construction” does not clearly identify the work required, while “this building was constructed in 19th century” gives background rather than naming the apartment fault. There is also a spelling error in “appartment.” Choose concrete repair vocabulary that tells the manager what is wrong and what action is needed. For example, name a crack, leak, broken fixture, or damaged surface, and use precise verbs such as “repair” or “inspect.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses mostly short, simple statements, and the basic message can be understood. However, control is weakened by sentence-boundary and punctuation problems: “Dear manager i requested you please visit the appartment” runs the greeting and request together, and “i” is not capitalised. The past-tense form in “This building was getting old” is also unsuitable for describing its present condition; “is getting old” or “has become old” would fit better. The repeated sentence pattern offers little grammatical variety. Practise accurate letter openings and complete sentences, then combine related ideas with structures such as “Because the wall is cracked, I am concerned that…”

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