Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-24

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 Sir,

I am writing this letter to express the concern related to my apartment which needs to modifiy.Recently,I moved to your building and I noticed the washing machine is not working properly as well as water issue in the bathroom. The water heater not working properly

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify a relevant repair problem by mentioning that the washing machine is not working properly and that there is a water issue in the bathroom, including a faulty water heater. However, the letter is incomplete: it does not explain what action you want the manager to take, and it does not ask the manager to visit your apartment. The opening also refers generally to the apartment needing modification rather than clearly introducing the repair request. The response is substantially below the required 150 words, so the task is addressed only minimally. To improve, cover all three bullet points explicitly, add useful details about the faults, and state a clear request for a visit and repairs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has a recognisable letter opening and begins with a purpose statement, followed by details of the problems. This gives the reader a basic sense of the topic. However, the ideas are compressed into one short paragraph, and the final sentence about the water heater is left without a clear connection to the preceding information. There is no closing or sign-off, and the letter does not progress to a proposed solution or request for a visit. Use separate paragraphs for the purpose, problem details, and requested action, and connect them with simple transitions such as “In addition” and “Therefore” to make the sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use basic vocabulary that communicates the general subject, including “washing machine,” “water issue,” and “water heater.” These terms are relevant, but the range is narrow and some wording is imprecise: “express the concern related to my apartment” and “needs to modifiy” do not clearly describe a repair request. The spelling error in “modifiy” also affects accuracy. More specific repair vocabulary would help you explain the faults and desired action precisely. For example, describe the machine as “out of order” or “malfunctioning,” and refer to a “plumbing problem” or “faulty water heater” rather than the vague phrase “water issue.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses a few simple sentence patterns, and the main problem details can generally be understood. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “The water heater not working properly,” the sentence is missing the verb “is.” The opening sentence also has a faulty construction: “my apartment which needs to…” does not clearly express the intended relationship between the apartment and the repairs. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, particularly in “Recently,I” and “properly as well as water issue.” Build complete sentences with a subject and verb, for example, “The water heater is not working properly,” and check sentence boundaries and commas. A wider range of accurate sentence structures is needed.

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

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