Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20
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 Sayra,
I hope you are well. I am so happy for you regarding your acceptance in final round at carleton university after long waitlist. You are going to enjoy your time at campus. Regarding accomodations, I lived at the kennsignton area that falls nearby market opposite to uni. I would advice you staying within the campus as winter's in ottawa are hectic and sometimes transportation is not reliable during peak hours. Since, you took same course as mine and I know classes will in morning and staying within campus will be easy for you to get into class in time.
Although, I would not suggest you to pay full 2 semester fess all together because it is very pricey and also semester 2 will be practicum hence you might need to travel a lot to stay in field and by that time it will be spring turning into summer anyway. I would suggest that with help of your classmates/friends you can find a place to stay which can suit your work/field location.
I am glad you are doing this and I wish you very best.
Wishing you Luck,
Emily
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address the accommodation topic and give relevant advice, including staying on campus because of Ottawa’s winter conditions and asking classmates or friends for help. However, the task’s three points are not all covered clearly. You describe Kensington as your former area, but give little detail about what living there was like; your recommendation shifts between campus housing and finding a place near the practicum location; and the warning about mistakes is mainly limited to paying for two semesters upfront. Develop each point more fully and make the recommendation consistent—for example, explain how to compare locations and what to check before signing or paying.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The email has a recognisable structure: an opening, accommodation advice in two paragraphs, and a friendly closing. The ideas are generally relevant, and phrases such as “Although” and “by that time” attempt to connect reasons and advice. However, the progression is not always clear: you first recommend staying on campus, then suggest finding accommodation suited to the practicum location, without explaining how your friend should choose between them. Some links are awkward or incomplete, such as “Since, you took same course as mine and I know classes will in morning.” Use clearer paragraph focus and transitions, and make the relationship between each recommendation and its reason explicit.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “peak hours,” “practicum,” and “field location,” which helps communicate the situation. The tone is appropriately friendly for an email to a friend. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “accomodations,” “kenn signton” (Kensington), “advice” where the verb “advise” is needed, and “fess” for “fees.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “acceptance in final round” and “falls nearby market opposite to uni.” Choose more natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise accommodation vocabulary, such as “student residence,” “lease,” and “commute,” would help make your advice clearer.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example, the sentence explaining that winter weather can make transportation unreliable and the clause beginning “because it is very pricey.” These attempts show some range, but errors occur often enough to make parts of the message difficult to follow. Examples include “I would advice you staying,” “classes will in morning,” and “Since, you took same course as mine.” These need corrected verb patterns, missing verbs, articles, and punctuation. Try shorter, complete sentences when giving key advice, and check that each clause has a subject and verb. For example: “I would advise you to stay on campus” and “Your classes will be in the morning.”
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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