Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-16

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 Sir,

I hope this letter will finds you in good health and in high spirit. I am writing this letter in order to inform about that I want to stay in your apartment for longer than 6 months that I originally agreed with you.

Five months I had visited to you for rent an apartment for six months. But, now I wish to stay in your apartment for a year. Because I was here as a tourist and I like this place very much so I wish to stay here for more 6 months that our agreement. I want to travel all across your city and all tourist place to gain more lovely memories. I also want to you to inform about there is a problem in switches board which sometimes give a shock when I turn on or off any switch.

I hope you will allow me to stay in your apartment for more six months that will really make me very happy .

Yours faithfully,

Satnam Singh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the writer clearly states the desired extension period by mentioning, 'I wish to stay in your apartment for a year' and 'for more 6 months.' Second, the reason for the change in plans is explained adequately, noting that the writer came as a tourist, loves the place, and wants to explore the city further. Third, the letter successfully informs the owner about a maintenance problem, specifically stating that 'there is a problem in switches board which sometimes give a shock.' All parts of the task are covered with a clear and appropriate semi-formal letter tone, meeting the requirements well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable beginning, middle, and end, following standard letter-writing conventions. The student uses basic cohesive devices and paragraphing to separate ideas, such as starting a new paragraph to detail the apartment problem and reasons for staying. However, transitions are at times slightly mechanical or abrupt, and referencing is occasionally faulty, such as in the phrase 'I also want to you to inform about there is a problem.' While progression is visible, the flow could be smoother and more logically linked to achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their basic needs, reasons, and the maintenance issue. However, there are frequent vocabulary and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. Examples include 'in high spirit' instead of 'in high spirits', 'inform about that' instead of 'inform you that', and 'tourist place' instead of 'tourist attractions'. While the student attempts less common expressions like 'lovely memories', the persistence of word-choice and prepositional errors places this performance firmly at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use varied structures. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors that occasionally impede fluency and cause strain for the reader. Notable errors include subject-verb agreement and tense issues, such as 'I hope this letter will finds you', 'Five months I had visited to you for rent', and 'which sometimes give a shock'. Punctuation and article usage also show consistent lapses, such as missing articles before nouns ('in switches board'). These issues align with the Band 5 descriptors.

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

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