Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-06
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 5.0)
Dear friend
How are you I hope all his well with you. I am writing this mail to you regarding your accommodation which will be easy for you to go to the university. I want to guide you that just near the university which i studied i had a guest house just beside it.
However you can the room for yourself just in that house where i use to live. They have good view and best part it is clean and they serve hygienic food. And the honor is good. However you can save time to catch bus or other transport because it is waking distance to the university.
Just one thing make sure do not share room with anyone because they do not give guarantee for your good it should be managed by urself so please be careful ,and make sure you more money for the room so that you can keep the whole room by urself. This is my suggestion Thank you for your corporation.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: describing your past accommodation, recommending a way to search, and warning about common mistakes. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For example, the advice on how to look for accommodation is vague, as you simply suggest living in the same house where you lived, rather than explaining the process of searching. The warning about sharing rooms is clear, but the explanation is slightly repetitive. To improve, ensure you provide more specific details and fully expand on each point to better assist your friend.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The email is organized into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. You should use clear paragraph breaks to separate the different points requested in the prompt. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes misused, such as the repetitive use of 'However' at the start of sentences where it does not fit the context. Improving your paragraphing and using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') would significantly improve the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication, but it lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'the honor is good' (likely meaning 'the landlord') and 'make sure you more money' (missing a verb). Additionally, 'corporation' is used incorrectly; you likely meant 'cooperation'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to housing and ensure you are using words in their correct context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'all his well'), missing articles, and sentence structure errors (e.g., 'you can the room'). You rely heavily on simple sentence structures, and your attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors, such as the run-on sentence in the final paragraph. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensure you include necessary verbs, and pay closer attention to punctuation and capitalization.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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