Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

Dear Sahaj,

I'm so excited to hear that you finally found the job in the same city that you were looking for!

I know you must be thinking about suitable accommodation. As for the area, I suggest that you to find a place near downtown Vaughan as it will be easier for you to commute from one place to another.

The city has a good public transport system and especially trams, which run all over the downtown area. You'll not have to worry about getting late for work everyday as you can catch one, every other 15 minutes.

I'd also advice you to not share a room with a stranger in an apartment as some people might not keep the same hygiene as you prefer. It can also be distracting for you to work and you might feel difficult to get enough sleep for the day.

Don't forget to write me back if you need help with anything else.

With Love

Ricky

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks you to write a letter to your landlord regarding an extension of your rental agreement and a maintenance issue in your current apartment. Instead, you have written a letter to a friend named Sahaj, offering advice on finding accommodation in Vaughan. Because you have failed to address any of the bullet points or the core purpose of the task, the response cannot be assessed as a successful completion of the prompt. To improve, ensure you carefully read the instructions and identify the specific purpose, recipient, and required content points before you begin writing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is logically structured as a piece of friendly correspondence, with clear paragraphing and appropriate opening and closing salutations. You use cohesive devices such as 'As for the area' and 'I'd also advice you to' to link your ideas. However, because the content is entirely irrelevant to the task, the coherence is undermined by the fact that the text does not serve the required function. While the internal flow of the advice you provided is logical, it does not meet the requirements of the task prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a reasonable range of vocabulary suitable for a friendly letter, such as 'accommodation', 'commute', 'hygiene', and 'distracting'. There are some minor errors, such as using 'advice' (noun) instead of 'advise' (verb). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it is not being used to address the specific requirements of the IELTS task. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring your word choice is appropriate for the specific context of the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I suggest that you to find a place...' and 'You'll not have to worry about getting late...'. There are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as the unnecessary 'to' after 'suggest that you', and the awkward phrasing 'getting late for work'. Additionally, 'every other 15 minutes' is an incorrect collocation. While your meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors and the limited control over complex structures prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage.

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.