Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-03
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)
Dear Dennie,
As per our discussion you were asking for recommendations I was studying there before 2 years ago so as I was living in the hostel during my course.
Hostel is the best option if you want to live their ,
The hostel life is enjoyable happy and you will get the new experiences in life can get good their.
Most of the students think they live in pg is the best option because it us their mindset that hostel have a lot of strictness during timing and all so don’t think like them so in my suggestion go for hostel rather than any other place.
Thankyou for considering me for advice
Regards
Dennie
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the development of the ideas. While you have addressed the three bullet points—describing your past accommodation, recommending a search method, and warning against mistakes—the content is underdeveloped. The advice provided is quite brief and lacks the necessary detail to fully satisfy the task requirements. To improve, you should expand on your personal experiences, provide more specific, actionable advice on how to search for housing, and elaborate on the potential pitfalls students face. Aim to provide a more comprehensive and helpful tone suitable for a letter to a friend.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is divided into short paragraphs, which helps with readability, but the logical progression between ideas is weak. The use of cohesive devices is very limited, making the text feel somewhat disjointed. For example, the transition between describing your experience and giving advice is abrupt. To improve, use a wider range of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore,' 'In addition,' 'On the other hand') to connect your sentences and paragraphs more fluidly. Additionally, ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus to help the reader follow your argument more easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive, which limits your ability to express your ideas with precision. Phrases like 'good their' and 'enjoyable happy' are unnatural and lack the sophistication expected at higher bands. You rely on simple sentence structures and common words, which restricts the range of your expression. To improve, try to incorporate more descriptive adjectives and topic-specific vocabulary related to housing and student life. For instance, instead of saying 'good,' use 'convenient' or 'advantageous.' Expanding your vocabulary will help you convey your points more effectively and naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede communication. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('I was studying there before 2 years ago'), misuse of prepositions ('live their' instead of 'live there'), and awkward sentence construction ('Most of the students think they live in pg is the best option'). The range of grammatical structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and correct word order. Incorporating a few complex sentences using relative clauses or conditional structures would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.
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.