Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-20

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently used a company to help you move your furniture and possessions to your new apartment. The removal company has now asked for your feedback about the service they provided.

Write a letter to the removal company. In your letter

• explain what went well on the day you moved house

• praise an employee who was particularly helpful

• mention an aspect of the service that you were not happy with

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to inform you that, i have used the services of your company for shifting in my new apartment from the old one. I want to praise the

punctuality and activeness of your staff, they reached

on time, and were very efficient. Also they were all well-behaved and did their job in a very professional way. The thing that i like the most about your service is that you were remained in contact with me throughout the process of moving furniture and showed concern about my belongings not getting damaged. The only thing that i did not appreciate about your company is that the packing equipment was not sufficient for my furniture, and because of that, some of my chairs got scratched, so you have to provide your workers with the necessary goods.

yours faithfully,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: it explains what went well (punctuality and efficiency), praises a specific employee (or staff in general, though slightly lacking an individual name, it praises their helpfulness), and mentions an aspect of dissatisfaction (insufficient packing equipment causing scratches). However, the length requirement has not been met, as the response contains only 139 words compared to the minimum requirement of 150 words. Because the text is under-length, the task achievement cannot be fully realized at a higher band. The ideas are relevant and generally clear, but the slight under-development due to word count constraints limits the overall score. To achieve a higher band, the writer must ensure the word count exceeds the 150-word threshold and expands slightly more on the specific employee praised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter maintains a recognizable structure with an appropriate salutation and closing, although the closing 'yours faithfully' lacks proper capitalization. The response is organized into a single block paragraph rather than distinct paragraphs for each bullet point, which impacts the overall layout. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Also' and 'The thing that i like the most', but these are somewhat repetitive and mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, but paragraphing should be improved to separate the introduction, positive points, negative feedback, and conclusion. Progression is visible, yet the lack of paragraph breaks hinders logical flow. Overall, the organization is sufficient for a lower-intermediate level but requires better structuring and a wider range of cohesive devices.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items such as 'punctuality', 'efficiency', and 'professional way'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'shifting in my new apartment' instead of 'moving into my new apartment', and 'you were remained in contact' which contains a grammatical and lexical blend error. Spelling is generally accurate, but capitalization issues occur, such as the lowercase 'i' used multiple times. The range of vocabulary is limited but minimally adequate to convey the intended meaning regarding the moving service. To improve, the writer should focus on accurate collocations and correct verb-tense choices in idiomatic contexts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several noticeable grammatical errors, such as comma splices ('your staff, they reached on time') and incorrect tense constructions ('you were remained in contact'). Additionally, punctuation and capitalization rules are frequently overlooked, evidenced by lowercase pronouns 'i' and missing terminal punctuation in places. Complex sentences are attempted, but they often contain errors that can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over complex sentence patterns, avoid run-on sentences, and eliminate basic punctuation and capitalization mistakes.

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

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