Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-25
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 Mr. shah,
I am writing to request your help with extention of apartment agreement.
Firstly, How are you? I hope you are doing well. I have decided to stay longer than six months because of good accomodation and luxury comfort at this price. I would like to request you to extend 3 month in our agreement.
In addition, I have changed my plan because of my friends have moved in front of our apartment. As well as I changed my job which is located 500 meters far from our apartment, so this decision can save my time and money.
Lastly, I would like to discuss one problrm in our apartment which I have noticed. Our front window is not closing so can you please fix it.
Your faithfully Rahul.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response attempts all parts of the prompt, but the length requirement is not met as the student wrote only 130 words against the 150-word minimum. Regarding bullet points, the student mentions wanting to extend for 3 months, explains the change of plans due to friends and a new job, and highlights a problem with the front window. However, the ideas are relatively basic and lack full development. Due to the under-length penalty and limited elaboration, this performance aligns with Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The letter uses basic organizational markers like 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'Lastly', which establishes a clear structural layout. Paragraphing is appropriately handled to separate the different points of the letter, such as the extension request, the change in circumstances, and the apartment maintenance issue. However, referencing is sometimes repetitive ('our apartment' is used multiple times), and the overall progression is somewhat mechanical. These features fit the Band 6.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common lexical items such as 'extention', 'accomodation', and 'circumstances'. There are some noticeable spelling errors, such as 'extention' (extension), 'accomodation' (accommodation), and 'problrm' (problem). Word choices are generally clear enough to communicate the intended message without causing significant strain to the reader, placing the lexical control firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I have decided to stay longer than six months because of good accomodation...' and 'As well as I changed my job which is located...'. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues, such as missing capitalisation in 'Mr. shah', incorrect phrasing like 'extend 3 month in our agreement', and awkward coordination. Nevertheless, communication is rarely impeded, supporting a Band 5.5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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