Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28
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 sam
i am doing good and i hope you are also good in your health i am read your email and i see you are looking place to living near by universitiy
1 - I am also passount in same university and i am very happy because you are study in lovely profesional university in this university me create thousand memories and now i am telling you where i am lived i am lived rented room in jass pg its near by niranjan tea stall its 1 km away from university it was small but comfortable place the room had include bed,fridge,almera,study table and many more things i choose this place because it was quite close to my university so i could easily walk to my class
2 i would recommend her to look for accommodation online. he can check social media for rooms and apartment near her university in my opinion choosing a place close to the university
3 I would advise to her not choosing a place just a cheap price student will be checked safity,living area,transport facilities or rental agreement to pay any money i would suggest he visit the place before make any decision
your freind
vansh
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student has successfully addressed all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The response describes where the writer lived as a student (a rented room in Jass PG near Niranjan tea stall), recommends the best way to look for accommodation (online and via social media), and warns against common mistakes (choosing a place solely based on a cheap price without checking safety, transport, or agreements). However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and lacks extension in places, and there is some confusion in pronouns regarding the friend's gender. Despite these minor limitations, the main communicative goals are accomplished, aligning the response well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The email has a coherent overall arrangement, and the information is divided into numbered sections which helps distinguish the bullet points. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor punctuation, lack of capitalization, and absence of standard transitional cohesive devices. Paragraphing is unconventional, using numbered bullet-like blocks rather than a natural email format, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting pronoun usage ('he can check... near her university'). Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate. This level of organisation and management of cohesion fits comfortably within the Band 5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts relating to accommodation, such as 'rented room', 'study table', 'online', and 'rental agreement'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'passount' for passionate/student, 'almera' for almira/wardrobe, 'quite' instead of 'quiet', and 'safity' for safety. These errors reflect a limited range and cause some difficulty for the reader, though communication is generally maintained. This performance corresponds to a Band 5 for Lexical Resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response features a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple sentences strung together with run-on clauses and a severe lack of punctuation. There is a complete absence of periods and capital letters throughout the body paragraphs. Frequent errors occur in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'i am read', 'me create thousand memories', and 'before make any decision'. These frequent grammatical errors and the lack of complex structures that are error-free mean the response falls below Band 5 in terms of grammatical control, though it demonstrates enough basic sentence construction to secure a Band 4.5, rounded to 4.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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