Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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 respected friend ,

I hope you are doing well when you read this letter .yesterday I recieved your letter in which you need my suggestions regarding to your course and accomodation in univerty .At first i am very happy when I read the news of your course in which you recently enrolled .I think its a great oppertunity for you to build great future.

firstly,I told you that umer hostel is one of the best wing in all the university where student love comfortably in addition they were also provide lunch and breakfast .All day wifi facility to all the students.It has very resonable fee structure from which every pupil easily avail. furthermore it is also near to your department .

secondly I would like to warn you from some drawback .Because most of the students face it.However they waste their time and money .You should take time in selectionof your hostel or flat .Make a list of your requirments such as wifi,clean bathroom,air condition last but not least it would be near to your university.I hope you now understand all the points of your requirments.May you have a wonderful university life ahead .Wnd also be careful from ever wrong dissions.

your faithfully, zainab javaid

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main purpose of advising your friend and include relevant details about student accommodation: you describe Umer Hostel, mention its meals, Wi-Fi, fees and proximity to the department, and warn about choosing without considering requirements. However, the recommendation about how to search is not clearly explained. “Take time in selection” and “make a list” are useful general advice, but you do not say where or how to find suitable places, such as contacting the university accommodation office or checking listings. The warning is also broad rather than identifying specific mistakes students make. The friendly email purpose is clear, but the formal opening and closing do not fully suit a friend. Develop the search advice and warning more specifically.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has an overall sequence: an opening, information about the hostel, advice and a closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these parts, and signposts such as “firstly” and “secondly” make the intended progression visible. However, the links can feel mechanical, and some connections between ideas are unclear. For example, “Because most of the students face it. However they waste their time and money” does not clearly explain what “it” refers to or how the ideas relate. The long opening paragraph also combines several different points. Use clearer paragraph breaks and connect each recommendation directly to its reason; ensure pronouns such as “it” have an unmistakable reference.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to accommodation and student life, including “fee structure,” “department,” “requirements,” and “selection.” This gives you enough language to communicate the general topic, but the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts less clear or natural. Examples include “accomodation,” “univerty,” “oppertunity,” and “dissisions.” Some phrases are also awkward, such as “students love comfortably” and “warn you from some drawback”; more natural choices would be “students live comfortably” and “warn you about some drawbacks.” Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for accommodation advice. A wider range of precise, natural phrases would make the email easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, for example, “It has very resonable fee structure from which every pupil easily avail.” However, the longer constructions are often faulty, and frequent errors in sentence formation, verb forms, articles and punctuation sometimes make the message difficult to interpret. In “they were also provide lunch and breakfast,” the verb form is incorrect; “they also provide lunch and breakfast” would be clearer. “I hope you are doing well when you read this letter” also uses an awkward tense pattern. Several sentences are fragments, including “All day wifi facility to all the students.” Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and review articles and punctuation before sending.

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

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