Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 am writing this letter to apologize my inconvenience i caused you recently.My name is Mansi and i am tenant of your apartment which is on the 2nd floor of the building and i am staying here from six months as per the agreement that I signed with you.

Addimittedly, as you know i was doing my internship here in SBI bank from 5 months.However, i got a job offer in the HDFC in your hometown based on my skills and experience. They called me for an interview and somehow i cleared the interview.Hence, i need to stay for long time because of my job.

Besides this, this apartment is very good and the its a quiet place.Moreover, everything is working good and one thing is that just want your quick attention to the ceiling problem that i am facing recently.One day i slipped on the floor and this incident gave me a back pain.Furthermore,this problem lead to fungi which sometimes give bad smell and causing spread of mosquitoes and insects.I am requesting you to please fix this problem as soon possible.

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

Your's faithfully,

Mansi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover the three requested points: you explain that you want to remain because of a new job, describe a ceiling-related problem, and ask the owner to address it. However, the key request is not specific enough: “stay for long time” does not say how much longer you wish to rent, and the new job’s location is unclear in “in the HDFC in your hometown.” The problem is also difficult to follow: you mention slipping, back pain, fungi, odour and insects without clearly explaining how these relate to the ceiling. The opening apology is not relevant to the purpose of the letter. State a definite rental period, clarify the job change, and describe the apartment issue and its effects directly to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for your circumstances, changed plans and the apartment problem, followed by a closing. This gives the reader a general sense of progression. You also use linking expressions such as “However,” “Hence,” and “Moreover.” At times, though, these links feel mechanical or do not show the relationship between ideas clearly. For example, “Besides this” introduces a positive comment about the apartment before the problem, while “Furthermore” connects the ceiling issue to fungi and insects without making the cause clear. Group the new job and requested extension together, then explain the problem in a clear sequence: what is wrong, what it causes, and what action you want.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main situation, including “job offer,” “agreement,” “ceiling problem,” and “bad smell.” There are also attempts at more formal language, such as “consideration” and “quick attention.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “apologize my inconvenience,” “doing my internship,” and “everything is working good.” “Fungi” is also an imprecise choice for describing a damp or mould problem, and “your hometown” makes the job location confusing. These errors sometimes make the reader work to understand your meaning. Choose more natural phrases and use precise terms for the apartment defect and the length of the rental extension.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using clauses and connectors to explain your plans and the apartment issue. The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain across the letter. For example, “I am tenant” needs an article, and “i was doing my internship here … from 5 months” has problems with tense, capitalisation and the time expression. In “the its a quiet place,” the sentence structure is faulty, while “this problem lead to fungi” has an incorrect verb form. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly where full stops are followed immediately by the next sentence. Review articles, verb forms and sentence boundaries, and proofread for capital letters and punctuation.

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