Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-29
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 christine
I am writing this letter to ask that I want to stay in this apartment for more than six months because I love my privacy and the environment around here, which suits me. I changed my plan not just beacause of environment but also about my settlement and my space. i really had a bad experience before but i think right now i am having it what i want. when i first came here there was some scary things happened like banging the door and window broken in the midnight, that is why i was scared to stay however now everything is going smooth from last 3 months and my work is nearbyhere. i love to stay here more until my job prefernces. Hope you will understand and without any issues i can stay and always pays you a rent ontime. thankyou for your time
your faithfully
nivkiran kaur
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and a mention of a problem in the apartment. However, the development of these points is quite limited. The explanation regarding the change in plans is somewhat vague and difficult to follow, and the description of the problem (banging doors and broken windows) is presented in a confusing manner that lacks clarity. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the tone is inconsistent and lacks the formal register expected in a letter to a landlord. To improve, you should provide more specific details and ensure the tone remains professional throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter lacks a clear paragraph structure, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. It is written as a single block of text, which is inappropriate for a formal letter. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices (e.g., 'however', 'that is why'), they are often used incorrectly or in a way that does not improve the flow of the text. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the 'bad experience' and the 'scary things'. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly improve the logical flow and readability of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'having it what i want' and 'job prefernces'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and the tone is not consistently appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to housing and formal correspondence, and pay closer attention to collocations. For example, instead of saying 'everything is going smooth', a more natural expression would be 'everything has been running smoothly'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with subject-verb agreement, tense usage, and sentence structure. For example, 'there was some scary things happened' is grammatically incorrect. Punctuation is also problematic, with a lack of proper capitalization and run-on sentences that make the text difficult to parse. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic structures prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence boundaries and basic subject-verb agreement will help improve the accuracy of your writing significantly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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