Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-30

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 am writing to inform you about the contract that we aggreed in staying in the apartment.

Our agreement is 6 months only but i want to stay longer 1 and hafl year in your apartment because i am so comportable in the place, and especially is it nearby in my work and have a lot of of supermarket that you can buy anything that you want when you want to cook somethin and if you dont have time to cook theres a lot of restaurant's.

But on the other other hand, I tell you about a little problem i experienced in the apartment,im worrying about the gas tank i think you should change this because its old and for safety of your tenants and building.

I hope you accept my request.

I look forward to your response.

Your Sincerly,

Lemuel Marciano

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the three requested points: you ask to remain for “1 and hafl year,” explain that the apartment is comfortable and near your work and amenities, and report that the gas tank is old and may be unsafe. However, the reason for changing your plans is only briefly explained, and the problem would be clearer with details such as what is wrong with the tank or what action you are requesting. The letter is also six words below the required minimum, so it needs a little more development. Add a clear request to inspect or replace the tank and explain why you now need the longer stay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening, a paragraph about the extension, a paragraph raising the apartment problem, and a polite closing. This makes the main points reasonably easy to locate. Some links are awkward or repetitive, however: “But on the other other hand” is unnecessary, and the long sentence beginning “Our agreement is 6 months only” combines several reasons without clear separation. Use shorter sentences and organise the extension request and its reasons more cleanly. For example, state the requested rental period first, then give the reasons in a separate sentence, before moving to the gas-tank issue.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “agreement,” “comfortable,” “nearby,” “supermarket,” and “safety.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, and some phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “aggreed in staying,” “a lot of of supermarket,” and “change this.” These choices sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Aim for more accurate collocations and a slightly more formal tone suitable for a letter to a landlord. Proofread spelling carefully, and name the item directly—for example, “gas tank”—rather than using the vague “this.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate using simple statements and some longer sentence forms, but control is uneven, particularly when you join several ideas. For example, “Our agreement is 6 months only but i want to stay longer…” runs into a long explanation without clear sentence boundaries, while “especially is it nearby in my work” has an unclear grammatical structure. Capitalisation and punctuation also need attention, including the lowercase “i” and missing spaces after commas. Practise forming clear sentences with a subject and verb, and use full stops to separate the request, its reasons, and the apartment problem. More accurate sentence construction would make your message easier to follow.

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

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