Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 Aman,

I hope you are doing good.

First of all, congrats to you and your family for geeting place in university course , i am so happy for you.I can help you to find a place to live.

Starting with my experience and place of living.When i was student i lived in Paradise hostel near to university, it is a well maintained private property with all the aminities. You require some documents for getting room in that hostel.

I recommend you to look for accommodation in paradise.It will help you to settle in new place and also it is the chepest amoung other hostels and private rooms.

Further ,don't find room away from university and with more than 1 roommate ,however more than 1 roommate is common mistake students make while choosing room and look for place in where under one roof you can find everyting for livelihood.

All the best for future,see you soon.

lots of love,

kulu.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you describe living in Paradise Hostel, recommend it as an option, and warn against living far from campus or sharing with too many roommates. The advice is relevant and the friendly tone suits an email to a friend. However, some points are less fully explained than others. For example, you say the hostel is the cheapest, but do not explain how Aman could check availability or compare it with other options. The warning about roommates is also unclear: explain what problems too many roommates can cause, and clarify what you mean by finding “everything for livelihood” under one roof. Developing these details would make the advice more complete and useful.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The email has a recognisable structure, moving from congratulations and your own experience to a recommendation, a warning, and a friendly closing. Paragraph breaks help separate these purposes, and phrases such as “First of all” and “Further” signal progression. However, some linking feels mechanical, and the sequence within the advice paragraph is not always clear. The sentence beginning “Further, don't find room away from university” combines several warnings and recommendations, making the relationship between them difficult to follow. The reference to “more than 1 roommate” is then repeated without explaining the point. Use clearer paragraphing for the recommendation and warning, and connect each idea with a specific explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to accommodation, including “hostel,” “private property,” “roommate,” and “accommodation,” and the friendly expressions suit the audience. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “well maintained” and “amenities.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural phrases reduce control: “geeting,” “aminities,” and “chepest” are misspelled, while “place in university course” and “everything for livelihood” are not natural choices in this context. Some repetition of “place” and “room” also limits variety. Check spelling carefully and choose familiar, precise collocations—for example, “a place on the course,” “living costs,” and “facilities”—to make the advice clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the main message using both simple sentences and some longer structures, such as “It will help you to settle in new place and also it is the cheapest…” However, control is uneven, and several errors occur in sentence structure, articles, and punctuation. For example, “When i was student i lived in Paradise hostel” needs an article and clearer punctuation, while “I hope you are doing good” uses an unsuitable form after “doing.” The sentence beginning “Further” also joins several ideas in a way that makes the grammar difficult to follow. Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and article use, and divide long advice into shorter sentences. This will help you express the same ideas with greater clarity.

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

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