Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-11

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)

Hi Zoe,

I hope you are doing well. Firstly, I want to apologize for late reply as i was out of the city for few days and I just landed on this morning. I heard that you are going to study at the same university that i did. I must say that it is the best decision for your career growth because it is quite hard to get admission at this university.

I used to live in the downtown near to Champlain Mall which was near to university and other facilities. On top of that, I got this basement under $800 plus utilities which was quite cheap and the lease period was almost 2 years. Although it took me around 15 days to complete all paper work because it got this basement from agency. To get these kind of places, You must have employment letter, two paystubs and also have to pay first rent in advance.

I must say that always look for the terms and conditions while signing the documents and only choose location that benefits you. If you have a still concern, feel free to reach me.

Yours Lovelingly

Manpreet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give relevant information about your former accommodation, including its downtown location, proximity to the university and mall, rent, and lease period. You also offer a warning about checking terms and choosing a suitable location. However, the task is only minimally addressed overall: the recommendation for how Zoe should search is not clearly stated. Mentioning that you found the basement through an agency and listing documents needed to rent it does not explain what steps she should take to find options. The warning is also quite general, and the email does not identify specific common mistakes, such as failing to inspect a property or overlooking transport costs. Develop these two points with direct, practical advice to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable email structure, moving from an opening to your housing experience and then to advice. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and phrases such as “On top of that” and “Although” attempt to connect details. However, progression is not always clear: the sentence beginning “Although it took me around 15 days” is incomplete and makes the link between the agency and the paperwork difficult to follow. The advice paragraph also shifts quickly from checking terms to choosing a location, without explaining how these points relate. Use clearer transitions and organise the practical recommendation and warning into distinct, logically developed points. A suitable closing before the sign-off would also make the email feel more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “downtown,” “utilities,” “lease period,” “employment letter,” and “terms and conditions.” These details make your account specific and generally understandable. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices that reduce precision, such as “I just landed on this morning,” “got this basement,” and “paper work.” Some spelling and form issues also appear, including “Lovelingly” and inconsistent capitalisation of “I” and “You.” Aim for more natural housing-related collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, “found this basement through an agency” is clearer than “got this basement from agency,” while “documents” is a more natural choice than “paper work” in this context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “which was near to university” and a contrast introduced by “Although.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “apologize for late reply” needs an article, and “Although it took me around 15 days…” is a dependent clause without a complete main clause. The sentence “I must say that always look…” also lacks a clear subject and uses an awkward structure. There are tense and article problems in “I just landed on this morning” and “near to university.” Practise completing subordinate clauses and forming advice with “you should” or “I recommend that you.”

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

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