Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-30

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 5.0)

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:

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the required word count of 150 words, containing only 80 words. While the letter attempts to cover the three bullet points—describing your past accommodation, recommending a search method, and warning about mistakes—the development is extremely limited. The points are mentioned briefly but lack the necessary detail and expansion required for a Task 1 response. Because the length requirement is not met, the response fails to fully develop the ideas, resulting in a low score for task achievement. To improve, you must expand on each bullet point with specific examples and personal anecdotes to meet the minimum length.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The email is very short, which makes it difficult to demonstrate a full range of cohesive devices. There is a basic logical flow, but the lack of paragraphing and limited sentence variety makes the text feel disjointed. The transition between the points is abrupt. To achieve a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'on the other hand') and organize your ideas into clear paragraphs, with one paragraph dedicated to each bullet point in the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is functional and appropriate for an informal email to a friend, but it is quite limited. You rely on basic terms such as 'lived', 'look for', and 'mistakes'. There is no attempt to use less common or more precise vocabulary related to housing or student life. To improve, try to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and topic-specific collocations. For example, instead of 'look for', you could use 'scout for' or 'research', and instead of 'mistakes', you could use 'pitfalls' or 'common oversights'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammar is generally accurate, and the sentences are easy to understand. However, the range of structures is very limited. The response consists mostly of simple sentences. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences, which are necessary for higher band scores. To improve, try to combine simple sentences using conjunctions or relative pronouns to create more complex and fluid thoughts. For instance, 'I lived in a dorm which was located near the library' is more sophisticated than 'I lived in a dorm. It was near the library.'

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.