Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-24

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 doing good. The lease of home is almost done in next month, but I am thinking to extend my lease from six month to a year. Because a company whom i am working they are going to increase my work contract, so it is hard to find a quick space for stay. As well my office is on walking distance. But apartment needs to update a few things like, in the master bedroom the air condition is not properly work, nowadays outside temperature is between 35-40 degree. On the other hand, lobby needs to upgrade lightning, now the lights are yellowish it is not good for eyes, so we have to change from yellow to white. In the kitchen dishwasher is old it make noise when it turn on, my suggestion is to replace it or repair it if works.

Your Sincerely

Ram Lal Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the maintenance issues. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The explanation regarding the work contract is a bit vague, and the description of the apartment problems is presented as a list of complaints rather than a formal request for repairs. While the tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a landlord, it lacks the professional polish expected for a formal request. To improve, you should expand on your reasons and ensure the tone remains consistently polite and professional throughout the entire correspondence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. In IELTS writing, you should use clear paragraphing to separate your introduction, the body points, and the closing. There is a lack of cohesive devices; you rely heavily on simple conjunctions like 'but' and 'so'. Using transition words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition' would help link your ideas more logically. The progression of ideas is present but feels mechanical, and the lack of paragraph breaks significantly impacts the overall flow and readability of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic terms like 'update a few things' and 'not good for eyes', which are somewhat informal and imprecise. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'quick space for stay' instead of 'suitable accommodation' or 'short-term housing'. While your meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to common, everyday words. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more specific terminology related to housing and formal requests, and focus on using more natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('dishwasher is old it make noise'), article usage ('the lobby needs to upgrade lightning'), and sentence structure ('Because a company whom i am working they are going to...'). The sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when you attempt more complex constructions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and run-on sentences. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.

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

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