Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-25

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 Building Manager,

I am writing to express my concern regarding my appartment plumbing system. Lately i noticed that my shower tape is loosing water pressure in the morning. Initially, I thought their is a blockage in the tape, therefore, I replaced the tape with new one, however, the issue is still there. Additionally, yesterday my kitchen sink tape water flow started dropping down, and I was unable to cook breakfast for my self. Due to no water in kitchen, I cant cook at home at all.

I have reported this issue at the reception of the building. They promised me that this will be fixed before 5pm today, but so far no one came to check the plumbing in my appartment and the problem is still here.

My daily routine is affected by this problem and i am unable to cook and take shower.

I would be very thankful if you can resolve my problem on priority basis.

Best regards,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You explain the plumbing problem with relevant details: the shower pressure drops in the morning, the kitchen tap has also weakened, and reception has not followed through on its promise. This gives the manager a clear reason to act. However, the task is only partly addressed because you do not explicitly ask the manager to visit your apartment, and your proposed action is limited to asking for the problem to be resolved “on priority basis.” Develop this by requesting a specific inspection and repair, and by stating when you are available. The impact on your routine is mentioned, but could be explained more precisely. These omissions leave some parts of the request less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally clear sequence: you introduce the plumbing issue, describe the unsuccessful report to reception, explain the effect on your routine, and close with a request. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and connectors such as “Initially,” “Additionally,” and “but so far” guide the reader. Some links are mechanical or unclear, however. For example, “therefore” and “however” are crowded into one sentence, while “Due to no water in kitchen” repeats the preceding point rather than advancing it. The final request would connect more effectively to the task if it explicitly asked the manager to visit and inspect the apartment. Overall, the arrangement is coherent, though some cohesion and referencing could be smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “plumbing system,” “water pressure,” “blockage,” and “daily routine.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as describing the water flow “dropping down.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “shower tape” and “kitchen sink tape” should be “shower tap” and “kitchen tap,” while “loosing water pressure” is not the natural expression for pressure decreasing. “Resolve my problem on priority basis” is also awkward for a formal request. Spelling errors such as “appartment” and “cant” further affect control. Choose standard plumbing terms and more natural phrases to make the letter clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a sentence with “Initially” and a contrast using “however,” as well as a sentence explaining the effect on your routine. The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “I thought their is a blockage” needs a past-tense reporting clause and the correct form “there”; “with new one” needs an article; and “this will be fixed” would be more consistent as “this would be fixed” after “They promised.” Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “i,” and punctuation around the long sentence beginning “Initially” needs clearer control. More accurate tense, articles, and sentence boundaries would strengthen the letter.

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

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