Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Five months ago, you started renting an apartment on a six-month agreement. You now wish to stay in the apartment for longer than the six months you originally agreed with the owner.

Write a letter to the owner of your apartment. In your letter

• say how long you now want to rent the apartment for
• explain why your plans have changed
• tell the owner about a problem in the apartment

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear landlord,

i am writing this email to bring your attention regarding apartment agreement which we did five month ago. Firstly, i would like to discuses that i really enjoyed living in this apartment because all facilities are near to the apartment for example bank, grocery store , Sikh gurudwara and park.

Further more, the rent to also suitable for as for this apartment it enough for me to live in it. Also, the prominent reason is my work is too near not only this but also environment is friendly here and your are too nice because when face difficulty in apartment you always fixed it on time.

Adding more, this are the reasons i want to increase the agreement. I hope to hear from you soon regarding these concern.

Kindly regards,

Gursimran Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While you addressed the three bullet points—stating the desired extension, explaining the change in plans, and mentioning a maintenance issue—the development of these points is quite thin. For instance, you mention a problem in the apartment but fail to specify what the problem actually is, which is a key requirement of the prompt. To improve, ensure you provide specific details for each bullet point and expand your ideas to meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a formal letter. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly' and 'Further more', but the transitions between sentences are often mechanical or awkward, such as 'Adding more, this are the reasons'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making the flow of the letter feel repetitive and slightly confusing. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would help improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'apartment' and 'nice'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'bring your attention regarding' (should be 'bring to your attention') and 'rent to also suitable' (should be 'rent is also suitable'). To improve, try to incorporate more varied vocabulary related to housing and formal requests, and pay closer attention to standard collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'we did five month ago' (should be 'five months ago'), 'your are too nice' (should be 'you are'), and 'when face difficulty' (should be 'when I face a difficulty'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and the attempts at complex sentences are often marred by errors in subject-verb agreement and article usage. Focusing on basic sentence construction, verb tenses, and proofreading for small errors like missing articles or pluralization would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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