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 sir,

I hope your doing well and great. I am writing a letter to you to about the apartment , over agreement of apartment is six months, and I am living in this apartment since five months ago .

We are agreement for six month but as you know , I am a student of IELTS course so my course is extend for more six months .So I requested to you to please extend the agreement for 1 year. Your apartment is neat and clean and comfortable and I feel relax and fully concentrate on my studies.

But there are some problems I faced , first of all the problem of water , there are no fresh water are present on it for drinking because the filter plant is not working last 2 months . Another main fault is that the lift of apartment is not working properly some time its work and some time its not working . so I requested to you to please solve this problems

yours sincerely,

Hussnain zulfiqar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you request a longer rental period, explain that your IELTS course has been extended, and report problems with the water filter and lift. The request to extend the agreement for “1 year” is clear, and you give relevant reasons for wanting to remain, including the apartment’s comfort and suitability for studying. The problems are also specific, particularly the filter being out of order for two months. However, the new rental period could be stated more precisely in relation to the original agreement, and the explanation of your changed plans is brief. A more complete letter would clarify the exact dates or total duration and make a polite, direct request for the owner to arrange repairs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a generally sensible order: it introduces the request, explains the change in plans, and then describes the apartment problems. Paragraph breaks help distinguish the main topics, and phrases such as “first of all” signal the start of the list of faults. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear, as in “But there are some problems I faced,” and the long second paragraph combines several ideas without enough punctuation. The repeated use of “so I requested to you” also makes the progression feel repetitive. Use clearer sentence boundaries and link each point more naturally—for example, separate the extension request from the reasons for staying, then present each repair issue in its own sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “agreement,” “comfortable,” “filter plant,” and “lift.” The reader can identify the two maintenance issues, although some word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or repetitive. For example, “over agreement of apartment” is unclear, “fresh water are present on it” does not express the intended meaning naturally, and “solve this problems” is imprecise. “Neat and clean and comfortable” also repeats simple descriptive language. Aim for more precise phrases such as “extend the rental agreement,” “the water filter has not been working,” and “arrange for the lift to be repaired.” Check spelling and word forms, including the name in the sign-off, to make the letter more polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your response includes both simple statements and attempts at longer sentences, such as explaining that your course has been extended and describing the lift. The main message remains understandable, but errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation are frequent enough to affect ease of reading. Examples include “I hope your doing well,” “We are agreement for six month,” and “there are no fresh water are present.” The sentence beginning “I am writing a letter to you to about…” also has an incomplete, awkward structure. Practise accurate request forms (“I would like to ask whether…”) and check subject–verb agreement and singular/plural forms. Breaking long sentences into shorter, correctly punctuated ones would improve control.

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

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