Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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 this letter to do request you about that I want to stay one more year in this apartment. I really want to stay here for long because of my convience. I need this house lease for atleast one more year because my college is near to this house.

Firstly, I made planed to moved but than I thought about my studies as well as work requirements. In addition, when I shifted here, that time I did not know that my university was just walking distance but now my work place and studies are very closed to the apartment so want to stay longer.

However, everything is good in this apartment but some renovation need in this flat because it is very important to fix it. First, please change the lights because this kitchen lights are yellow in color which is look very dark in the kitchen so I really appriciate if you changing for me.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time and support.

Your Faithfully,

Sweta Maisuriya.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully covered all parts of the task prompt, addressing how long you wish to rent the apartment for, why your plans changed, and describing a problem in the apartment. For instance, you clearly stated a desire to stay for one more year, explained that your college and workplace are within walking distance, and mentioned a kitchen lighting issue. However, some aspects are under-developed or lack complete clarity. The explanation of your changing plans is slightly repetitive and unclear regarding your initial intentions, and the description of the problem lacks specific details about how you want it resolved beyond a vague request to change the lights. To reach a higher standard, you should extend and fully support all parts of your message with greater precision and clarity.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating your opening statement, reasons for changing plans, the apartment problem, and the closing remarks. You used basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'However' to link your ideas together. Nonetheless, the cohesion at times feels mechanical and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as when you abruptly shift between your studies and the apartment issue. Furthermore, the progression of ideas within your second paragraph stumbles slightly due to awkward phrasing. To improve in this area, you should ensure that cohesive devices are used more flexibly and that transitions between paragraphs feel completely natural and logical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You used an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating your core message about extending your lease and mentioning apartment fixtures like 'kitchen lights'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'convience' instead of 'convenience', 'appriciate' instead of 'appreciate', and awkward word choices like 'do request you'. You also attempted some less common vocabulary, but these attempts occasionally resulted in incorrect word forms or collocations, such as 'made planed to moved'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they do restrict your score because they highlight a limited and sometimes inaccurate grasp of word choice, spelling, and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You demonstrated a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like 'I am writing this letter to...' and 'when I shifted here...'. However, your writing contains some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as tense inconsistencies and preposition issues ('that time I did not know', 'which is look very dark', 'if you changing for me', and the incorrect sign-off 'Your Faithfully'). While these errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score, they rarely impede overall communication. To move up to the next level, you need to produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences, particularly when attempting complex structures, and pay closer attention to verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and polite salutations.

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

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