Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Reetu ,

I was a student of that university where you studied. When i was a student at the university i lived in girls hostel which is good for our safety and i was lived with my best friend.

This is best place to live because all the facilities are available there such as sperate room with attached bathroom , good electricity , and also good quality of food provide .And we can go outside on the weekends for shopping there are too many shops near to the university.

Although, this place is too good but students make mistake when choosing accommodation they want to live outside the area of university which is not only expensive for them but also its totally waste of their time because of this student choose bad companies that is not safe for their future. So i recommend you live at university girls hostel as this is suitable for you.

Yours sincerely,

Meenu.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all three bullet points: describing your past accommodation, recommending a way to find housing, and warning about common mistakes. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the recommendation for how to look for accommodation is missing; you simply state that the hostel is suitable without explaining how the friend should go about finding or booking it. The tone is generally appropriate for an email to a friend, but the content lacks the depth required for a higher band score. To improve, ensure you provide specific, actionable advice for each prompt requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The email is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Although' and 'So', but the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the hostel and the warning about mistakes feels a bit abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'bad companies', which is ambiguous in this context. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message, but it is quite basic and repetitive. You rely on simple descriptors like 'good' and 'bad' multiple times, which limits the precision of your writing. There are also some minor collocation errors, such as 'bad companies' (which likely means 'bad influences' or 'undesirable social circles') and 'totally waste of their time'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to housing and student life, such as 'amenities', 'conveniently located', or 'academic performance'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include missing articles ('in girls hostel'), incorrect verb tenses ('i was lived'), and punctuation errors, such as spaces before commas. You primarily use simple sentence structures. While you attempt some complex sentences, they often contain errors in subject-verb agreement or word order. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the use of articles and consistent verb tenses, before attempting more complex grammatical structures.

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

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