Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-03
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 reet ,
Hope you are doing well . I am very happy to hear that news that you get an admission in my university and I am excited to see you soon.
I read your e mail that you are curious about your accomodation. When I was a student , I used to live in an apartmant , nearby the university . The main reason to live there was that I didn't need any kind of transportation to reach to an university and it saves time and money . I recommend you to see any apartment , near to the university.
The best way to look for an accomadation is university website . You are able to see different accomadation facilities according to your budget and I also got my accomadation from website too.
Most of the students choose accomadation too far and you should avoid it . moreover , try to cook at home because most of learners rely on fast food which is harmful for their health .
I am really excited to see you and share me your ticket details so that I can pick you up .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the bullet points outlined in the prompt, covering your past living situation, recommendations for finding a place, and a warning about mistakes students make. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For example, while the description of your past apartment and the advice to use the university website are clear, the warning about students choosing accommodation too far away is somewhat brief, and the added mention of cooking at home drifts slightly away from the core accommodation focus. To reach a higher level, all parts of the prompt would need to be equally extended and explored in greater depth with more fully supported ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The email presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear friendly tone and appropriate opening and closing. Information and ideas are generally organized logically, starting with greetings, moving into your past experience and recommendations, and finishing with travel details. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, such as the repetitive use of 'accomodation' and basic linking words like 'moreover' which feel a bit abrupt. Paragraphing is present but could be managed more effectively to separate distinct topics like the accommodation warning and the lifestyle advice. To improve, you should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices to guide the reader smoothly through the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your message to your friend. There are several spelling and word-form errors that reflect a limited and developing lexical range, such as 'accomadation' and 'apartmant'. You attempt some less common vocabulary items, but there are noticeable slips in word choice, such as 'get an admission' instead of 'been offered a place', and 'reach to an university' where the preposition is unnecessary. These errors do not impede communication, but to achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate greater precision, correct spelling, and more natural collocations suitable for everyday yet polished correspondence.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses and conditional-style advice. There are some grammar and punctuation errors present, such as unnecessary articles ('reach to an university') and spacing errors before punctuation marks. However, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout. To move up to a higher band, you would need to produce a higher frequency of error-free sentences using a wider variety of complex grammatical structures with consistent accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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