Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-22

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 John,

Hope you are well and enjoying your life. I am a resident in an apartment of your building. I signed the lease five month before. Actually, at that time my requirment to stay in this city was for six month. I came here for the internship in an renowned company. The tenure of internship was six months, but now I have to stay longer because the time of internship has increased to further six months. I would like to request you to let me live here for more time until my job. My office is nearby here and it is very convenient for me to go there at appropriate time.

Besides, I will mention a problem in the apartment, that is the leakage of bathroom roof, which is very annoying. Kindly, fix this problem as soon as possible. Thanks for your consideration and time. With best wishes.

Yours Faithfully,

Maqbool.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the maintenance issue. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a landlord. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding the internship extension is brief, and the request to stay is phrased slightly awkwardly as 'until my job'. While the task is fully addressed, the lack of detail in the explanation and the slightly abrupt transition to the maintenance issue prevent it from reaching a higher band. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical sections, starting with the purpose of the letter, followed by the explanation, and concluding with the maintenance request. Paragraphing is present, though the letter is quite short, making the structure feel a bit compressed. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Actually', 'Besides', and 'Kindly', but they are sometimes used in a slightly mechanical or simplistic way. The progression of ideas is clear, and the reader can easily follow the writer's intent, although the flow between the request to stay and the mention of the leakage could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'requirment' (spelling), 'in an renowned company' (article error), and 'tenure of internship' (slightly unnatural phrasing). The student relies on basic vocabulary like 'problem', 'stay', and 'time'. While the meaning is always conveyed, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. To improve, the student should focus on more precise collocations and ensure correct spelling of common words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including 'five month before' (should be 'five months ago'), 'my requirment... was for six month' (should be 'months'), and 'leakage of bathroom roof' (missing article). Punctuation is generally acceptable, though the closing 'Yours Faithfully' is followed by a comma, which is standard, but the overall sentence control is inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The student should focus on subject-verb agreement and pluralization.

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

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