Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-28

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 sir

i am writing this letter to draw your attention toward the problem of water leakeage in my apartment.

I have been living here since 2022.

yesterday, after coming from my college. i went to use bathroom , there i saw bathroom roof is leaking and has lot of cracks through which water was comming from. Due to this i coud not able use bathroom properly. This water wasteage drain the water tank in few hours, which cause water shortage whole time. As well as this could damage wood doors of bathroom.

I request you to take action to solve this issue urgently at earliest convience. i looking forward to hear from you.

your faithfully

maninder singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main problem—a leaking bathroom ceiling with cracks—and explain relevant consequences, including the water tank emptying and possible damage to the wooden doors. However, the response only partially fulfils the task: it does not explicitly ask the manager to visit your apartment, and the proposed action is limited to the general request to “take action.” The letter is also 32 words below the required minimum, leaving little space to develop the repair request or explain when the manager could inspect the damage. To strengthen the response, specify that you want a plumber or maintenance worker to repair the leak, and directly invite the manager to visit and assess it. Add a little detail about access or a suitable time.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a generally understandable order: you introduce the issue, describe when and where you noticed it, explain its effects, and make a request. This gives the letter a coherent overall arrangement. Some links between ideas are less smooth, however. For example, “As well as this” is an awkward transition into the risk of damage, and the request and closing are compressed into a short final section. Paragraphing would also help distinguish the problem from its consequences and your requested actions. Use clear links such as “As a result” and “In addition,” and give the repair request and invitation for a visit their own space. This would make the progression easier to follow without changing your relevant content.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “leaking,” “cracks,” “water tank,” and “damage.” These choices make the central problem understandable. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy, such as “leakeage,” “wasteage,” and “convience.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “draw your attention toward” and “water was coming from” could be expressed more naturally for a formal repair request. The vocabulary range is adequate for the task, but greater control of spelling and collocation would make the letter clearer and more professional. Practise checking key words and choosing precise phrases for describing leaks, repairs, and their consequences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, for example, “Due to this I could not able use bathroom properly” and the sentence explaining that the leak could damage the doors. However, errors in sentence boundaries, verb forms, articles, and agreement are frequent enough to affect fluency. In “yesterday, after coming from my college. i went to use bathroom,” the full stop separates an introductory phrase from its main clause, and “I” should be capitalised. Other examples include “I looking forward” instead of “I am looking forward,” “which cause” instead of “which causes,” and missing articles in “use bathroom.” Practise building complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation before submitting.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.