Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Your friend has been offered a place on a course at the university where you studied. He/She would like your advice about finding a place to live.

Write an email to your friend. In your email

• describe where you lived when you were a student at the university
• recommend the best way for him/her to look for accommodation
• warn him/her of mistakes students make when choosing accommodation

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your email as follows:

Dear ..........,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Mamjot,

I am writing this letter informing you about the accommodation where you are going study.

I recently received your email in which you informed me that you are going to study in the same university where I completed my degree. I am very excited after hearing from you. I rented a apartment near the university. It used to save my a great deal of time. As you know time is very precious for a student. Moreover, you can visit the online websites to look for accommodation in that particular area.

I would like you to recommend that you should avoid looking for cheap accommodation because students usually make the same mistake then they suffer for basic facilities in the place where there are living. I would be very glad if my recommendation could be useful for you.

Thank you so much for asking of my advice.

Yours faithfully,

Lovepreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you say you rented an apartment near the university, suggest searching online, and warn against choosing cheap accommodation. These details are relevant, but the advice is only partly developed. For example, explain which websites or university services your friend could use, and give a practical reason to check facilities, safety, or the rental agreement rather than simply avoiding cheap places. The description of your own accommodation is also brief. The email’s purpose is clear, but the opening phrase “informing you about the accommodation” sounds more like a formal notice than friendly advice. Develop each point with specific, useful details and maintain a consistently friendly tone.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable email structure, with a greeting, an opening, a main section, and a sign-off. The ideas are generally understandable, and “Moreover” signals an additional suggestion. However, the progression between points is somewhat abrupt: the account of your apartment moves quickly to online searches, then to a warning, without clearly separating or connecting the advice. The repeated use of “I” and “you” also makes the message feel list-like rather than smoothly developed. Organise the body into clearer stages—for example, your experience, how to search, and what to check—and use linking phrases or references that show how each point relates to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “rented,” “accommodation,” “university,” and “basic facilities.” There are also some attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “a great deal of time.” However, several expressions are unnatural or imprecise, including “study in the same university,” “suffer for basic facilities,” and “asking of my advice.” These choices make parts of the email less fluent, even though the intended meaning is mostly recoverable. Aim for natural collocations and a friendly register suited to writing to a friend. For instance, describe the facilities as “lacking” or “inadequate,” and say “thanks for asking for my advice.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate the main message using mostly simple sentences and some attempts to combine ideas, such as “I recently received your email in which you informed me…” and “because students usually make the same mistake.” However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms are noticeable. Examples include “where you are going study” (missing “to”), “I rented a apartment” (article agreement), “It used to save my a great deal of time” (incorrect pronoun placement and verb form), and “where there are living” (incorrect verb construction). These errors sometimes interrupt the flow, although the overall meaning remains understandable. Practise accurate articles, infinitives, and verb forms, then proofread each sentence for a complete and natural structure.

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