Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-02

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. JHON,

Hope you doing well. Five months ago when i shifted here i was not much comfertable here so, that's why I had done the with the agreement. Honestly, saying now i have become very familar with this apartment as well as the atmosphere is very calm and it is also near to my work place I easily commute.

Now i have made my mind that i will stay for next year. But, have major issue with electercity and some plumbing issue. Kindly request you solve this problem. All about in this apartment i feel very safe.

MAVIE

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points required in the prompt, as you mention wanting to rent the apartment for another year, explain that your plans changed because you are familiar with the area and it is close to your workplace, and tell the owner about the electricity and plumbing issues. However, the ideas are quite brief and under-developed, and the overall length requirement is not met since the text falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum. To reach a higher level, you need to expand on each point with greater detail and ensure you meet the minimum word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation in your letter, moving from the greeting to your rental intentions, the reasons for staying, and finally the apartment issues. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the paragraphing is not managed effectively as ideas are grouped somewhat haphazardly into two dense blocks. Furthermore, cohesive devices are limited and mechanical, relying on simple connectors like 'so' and 'and then'. To improve, you should separate your thoughts into clear, logical paragraphs and use a wider variety of cohesive links to guide the reader smoothly through your message.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. You attempt some standard phrases, but there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'JHON' instead of the name, 'shifted' instead of moved, and 'comfertable' and 'electercity' due to spelling mistakes. You also use repetitive phrasing like 'this apartment' multiple times. To achieve a higher score, you should expand your vocabulary range, use less common lexical items accurately, and carefully check your spelling and word forms before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent errors when attempting more complex clauses. There are noticeable grammatical issues throughout, including missing auxiliary verbs in 'Hope you doing well', awkward phrasing in 'I had done the with the agreement', and missing prepositions or incorrect clause structures. Punctuation and capitalization also need attention, such as in the greeting and sign-off. To improve, you need to practise forming complex sentences accurately and reduce basic grammatical mistakes.

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

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