Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-11
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 5.5)
Dear Mr. Adam,
I am writing this letter to request you about my accommodation, as I signed a lease of your apartment for six months, but now I am planning to live here for another six months.
Moreover, I have been working in this city for the last six months and am waiting for my promotion.
Recently, I was promoted to senior manager in the company, so my family love live with me for forthcomming months, so that's why I changed my mind to extend the stay for a few more months. Furthermore, I am requesting that you please provide me with another six months so that I could find
another apartment for my family.
However, I have one concern about the washroom, as I use the washroom for bath, hot water does not come from the
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change, and the apartment issue. However, the response is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence regarding the hot water problem. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum requirement, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the lack of a proper conclusion and the unfinished nature of the final paragraph mean that the task is not fully realised. To improve, ensure all points are developed with sufficient detail and that the letter is brought to a logical, complete close.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter uses basic paragraphing and some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Recently', and 'Furthermore'. However, the flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending of the text. The logical progression is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of the linking words and the failure to complete the final thought hinder the overall coherence. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and logically connected to the next, leading to a coherent conclusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. Phrases like 'request you about my accommodation' are unnatural; a better phrasing would be 'request an extension of my lease'. There are also minor errors, such as 'forthcomming' (spelling) and 'love live with me' (grammatical collocation). The vocabulary is generally functional but repetitive. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to renting and formal correspondence, and ensure you check your spelling carefully before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'my family love live with me' should be 'my family would love to live with me'. There are also issues with preposition usage and verb tense consistency. While the meaning is generally understandable, the grammatical control is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of infinitive structures after verbs like 'would love'. Proofreading for basic errors in tense and word order will help improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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