Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28

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. Smith,

I am writing to request an extension in the time period of six-month rental agreement, which I previously agreed on.

I want to rent this apartment for another three years because I have got a permanent job offer from a new company. I was on a probabtion period of five months in my last job, due to which I rented this aprtment for six months in start.

I changed my plans because my company's office is also just two kilometers from my current address and my family is also moving with me. This apartment is spacious eno

I extend my sincere appreciation for your consideration, and I anticipate your valued response at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Adam Singh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response covers the main points outlined in the prompt, such as stating the desired rental extension and explaining the change in plans due to a new job and family relocation. However, the third bullet point regarding a problem in the apartment is completely omitted because the text trails off abruptly at the end ("This apartment is spacious eno..."). Furthermore, the word count requirement of at least 150 words was not met, as the response contains only 122 words. Consequently, the task has only been partially addressed, leading to a lower band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter follows a conventional format with standard salutations and sign-offs. However, the overall organisation is disrupted by the incomplete ending and the lack of proper paragraphing in the body of the letter. Cohesive devices are used in a basic manner (e.g., "because", "due to which"), but the abrupt stop of the text prevents a logical conclusion and proper paragraph flow. Progression is hindered by the truncated nature of the response, though the initial ideas are relatively clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses a minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, with some appropriate business and rental terms such as "permanent job offer" and "rental agreement". There are, however, a few spelling and word choice errors, such as "probabtion" instead of "probation" and "aprtment" instead of "apartment". The range of vocabulary is limited, but it is sufficient to communicate basic ideas clearly before the text cuts off.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses with "because" and "due to which". There are some grammatical and spelling inaccuracies present, for example, "time period of six-month rental agreement" lacks an article, and "in start" should be "at the start". While these errors exist, they do not severely impede communication. However, the unfinished sentence structure at the end detracts from the overall grammatical control.

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

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