Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-07

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, Ravi I am writing you to reply on your recent email about the enrolement in my university, first of all, I want you to congratulate for getting the seat in the university of MAA.

I know finding the accomodation in the city of xyz town is very tedious task esspecially nearby the campus delta where your course's lecture would be arranged, but do not worry about it here I would describe some steps which you can take to grab the best place in the campus or nearby the campus. When I was there for four years I stayed in the student hostels in the campus of the universtiy which was provided by the student help desk right after my enrolement, fot that room you just have to contact your college's help desk and they will provide you a brochure which would have every details to pre-register for the rooms in student hostel.

The most pragmatic place to live will be the nearby neighbourhoods of the university by which you can spend less money every semster as student hostels are almost double the price of rents in town. There are always some chances of getting in the fraud trap while you are in a rush to look for a space outside the town, the best way to curtail this risk by only trusting the social media gropus of students of the university where all the leaving students who finished their stuides post the ads for the rooms, from where you can easily get the space to live.

I hope you will find my email helpful in the search of accomodation in the city of xyz town and be safe there if you have to live far from the campus.

your friend,

dhruv.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that you lived in university hostels, advise Ravi to contact the college help desk and use student social-media groups, and warn about fraud when searching in a hurry. These details make the email relevant and useful. However, some advice is not fully clear or consistent: you first describe campus hostels as your own experience, then say nearby neighbourhoods are the best option because hostels cost more, without explaining how Ravi should weigh these choices. The warning focuses on fraud but could also mention practical mistakes such as failing to inspect a room, check the contract, or confirm bills and transport costs. Develop these points and make the recommendation more decisive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an opening, a paragraph about your student accommodation and how to apply, a paragraph with recommendations and a warning, and a friendly closing. The ideas generally progress in a sensible order, and links such as “When I was there” and “The best way” help the reader follow your advice. However, several sentences are very long and join multiple ideas with commas, especially the sentence beginning “I know finding the accomodation…”. This makes the relationships between points less clear. Some linking phrases, including “first of all” and “by which,” feel mechanical or imprecise. Use shorter sentences and clearer transitions to distinguish your personal experience, recommendation, and warning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonably varied range for the topic, including “student hostels,” “pre-register,” “neighbourhoods,” and “fraud trap.” These choices help communicate practical advice, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several word choices or combinations are unnatural or inaccurate, such as “grab the best place,” “getting the seat,” and “curtail this risk.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “enrolement,” “accomodation,” “esspecially,” and “stuides.” These reduce the accuracy and polish of the email, even though they do not prevent the reader from understanding it. Aim for natural collocations and proofread carefully; for example, use “secure accommodation” and “reduce the risk of fraud.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and “where,” and you use past and present forms to describe your experience and give advice. The main message remains understandable. However, some grammatical errors recur, and long sentences make them harder to control. For example, “I am writing you to reply on your recent email” has an incorrect verb pattern, while “I want you to congratulate” needs a different structure. There are also issues with articles and agreement in phrases such as “very tedious task” and “every details.” Comma splices and missing sentence boundaries appear throughout. Practise accurate verb patterns, articles, and plural agreement, and divide complex ideas into shorter sentences.

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