Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07

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 Mrs. Riya,

I am writing this letter about your renting apartment and my stay in your rent apartment. I want to stay in this apartment for a long time, i know this apartment at rent only for six month as for the agreement, but know i have to need this house for long time.

I am working woman and my company is cancelling my transfer for Delhi as well as i have to need for this house, because i am working in this company and in this branch at least one year more.

I know, it is short notice for you by me, but please understand my situation and give me this apartment for one year, it also changed the apartment doors, because all doors locks completely damaged, so please change this and give me details for apartment agreement for one year.

I am hearing to you.

Your faithfully

Yashandeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the maintenance issue. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The explanation regarding the work transfer is slightly repetitive and lacks clarity in its phrasing. While the tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord, the request for the extension and the mention of the broken locks are presented in a somewhat abrupt manner. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more coherent explanations and ensure the tone remains consistently professional throughout the correspondence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the flow between sentences is often disjointed due to limited use of cohesive devices. For example, the transition between the request for an extension and the mention of the broken locks is abrupt. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'it also changed the apartment doors,' where the subject is ambiguous. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' 'in addition') would help create a smoother progression of ideas and improve the overall readability of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'renting apartment' instead of 'rented apartment' and 'i have to need' instead of 'I need.' The repetition of basic words like 'apartment' and 'house' limits the range. To improve, you should focus on using more natural collocations and avoiding literal translations from your native language. Expanding your vocabulary to include more formal expressions suitable for business-related requests would significantly enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('i know this apartment at rent only for six month'), missing articles, and subject-verb agreement errors ('it also changed the apartment doors'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors will be beneficial.

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

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