Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-07

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 Owner,

I would like to inform you about important matter which is related to apartment. We have already agreed for agreement of six month for this apartment but i want extend for further 10 months because of my some important work.

Suddenly, my boss gave me some important work on project which is about to ten months and i also planning for family they were living in town. My child also miss me a lot. I have already work for ten months in this project, planning for family will easy my work of making food, washing clothes and some other activities.

I also tell about the problem in apartment, bathroom tiles were broken, wash basin doesn't work properly and one important issue of an electricity wiring which is difficult for me to handle. Furniture work also want to be done.

Looking forward for my extension of aparatment and resolve the issue of flat as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully

dev

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three required points: you request a further ten months, explain that your boss has assigned you a project, and report several apartment problems. The request is clear, and the project and family circumstances are relevant. This meets the task well, with some evidence of fuller development, but parts of the explanation remain unclear or insufficiently connected—for example, “I also planning for family they were living in town” does not clearly explain how your plans have changed. The repair list is useful, but you could specify the electrical issue and say what action you would like the owner to take. A more explicit, consistently polite request would make the letter more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: the opening states your request, the next paragraph gives reasons, and the final paragraph describes maintenance problems before closing. This gives the reader an overall sense of progression. However, connections between ideas are sometimes unclear or mechanical. In the second paragraph, the project, your family, and your child are introduced in quick succession, without clearly showing how each supports your request to stay. The final paragraph also shifts from reporting problems to “Furniture work” without explaining the connection. Use clearer linking and reference—for example, explain that your family will join you, then connect this to the longer rental period. Separate the repair concerns into clear, complete statements.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “six-month agreement,” “project,” “bathroom tiles,” “wash basin,” and “electricity wiring.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations are unnatural, which sometimes makes the message difficult to interpret. Phrases such as “important matter,” “my some important work,” and “Furniture work also want to be done” do not express your meaning precisely. Spelling and form issues, including “aparatment,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and precise terms for the repairs, such as “the bathroom tiles are damaged” or “the electrical wiring needs attention.” This would make the letter clearer and more appropriate in tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can generally identify your main request and reasons. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “Suddenly, my boss gave me some important work on project which is about to ten months” has problems with articles, clause structure, and tense; “I also planning” is missing an auxiliary verb. There are also errors in agreement and sentence construction, as in “bathroom tiles were broken, wash basin doesn't work properly.” These issues sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, verb forms, and punctuation. Shorter, correctly formed sentences would help you communicate the details reliably.

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