Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-25

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 Shah,

I am currently staying at you place at around six mont. While staying in this place it is very convenience to me to go to work and it in the city also so every facilities is near to me. So i make a plan to extend my stay for about one year.The one thing thing is that i am used to this place, and i really like the surrounding, the neighbours are too good. The other thing is that my cousin also going to settle with me in this place as he also get a job in that now, so we both decide to stay together. Whereas there are few things i want to discuss is that there is some leakage going on the sealing which need to be fix and the lock of the main door is sometime stuck which i face difficulty to open. So i request you to please fix it

Thankful

Jashan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three required points: you request an extension, explain that the location is convenient and that you like the neighbours, and report a ceiling leak and a sticking front-door lock. The request to stay “for about one year” is clear, and the reasons are relevant. This meets the task well, with some elements more fully covered than others: the reasons for changing your plans are listed but could be explained more clearly, particularly your cousin’s new job and how it affects the length of your stay. The repair request is understandable, but a more courteous, specific closing request would make the letter more complete and effective.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The information follows a generally sensible order: you explain why you want to remain, then raise the apartment problems. Linking phrases such as “The other thing” and “So” help show the relationship between ideas. However, the response is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the request, reasons, and maintenance issues are not clearly separated. Some links are also awkward or repetitive, especially “The one thing thing” and “Whereas there are few things.” Use separate paragraphs for the extension and its reasons, and for the repairs, with clearer transitions such as “In addition” or “I would also like to report.” This would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “extend my stay,” “neighbours,” “leakage,” and “lock.” Some choices, however, are inaccurate or unnatural and make the letter less fluent: “at you place,” “every facilities,” and “leakage going on the sealing” do not express the ideas naturally. There are also spelling and word-form errors, such as “mont” and “convenience.” Aim for precise apartment-related phrases and check spelling and collocations. For example, “a leak in the ceiling” and “the lock sometimes gets stuck” would communicate the problems more clearly and naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a sentence explaining your cousin’s plans and one describing the repairs. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “every facilities is near to me,” “my cousin also going to settle,” and “which need to be fix.” The opening sentence also has an unclear time reference: “I am currently staying … at around six mont.” Practise forming complete clauses with a subject and correctly inflected verb, and check singular/plural agreement. Breaking the longer sentences into shorter ones would also help you control punctuation and grammar.

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

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