Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 Amer, How are you? Congradulation, iI heard that you have got seat in the university in statistics department, in which I have completed my MBA. I would like to give you some advice on selection of accommodation in the hotel, as you asked from me in letter I recieved yesterday. I lived in Ayub Hall, that was very close to MBA department.One benefit of having accommodation near the department is that in morning you have to be quick to attend the classes after breakfast, it will save your time. There is one way that you should follow when applying for accommodation, mention the name of hostal where you want to live. some students do not mention the name hostel, and the management allot them hostal of their choice, so search well where you want to accommodate that is near to your deparment. i also recommend you meet hostel incharge in advance to confirm the room you wish to live. best wishes, javed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you say you lived in Ayub Hall, advise your friend to specify a preferred hostel and contact the person in charge, and warn that students may be allocated somewhere they did not want. These are relevant details, but the advice is not always clear or fully developed. For example, “the management allot them hostal of their choice” seems to contradict the warning that students fail to name a hostel, so explain the consequence more precisely. The description of living near the department is useful, though the benefit could be expressed more clearly. The email has an appropriate friendly purpose and closing, but a clearer, more complete explanation of the accommodation-search process would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The ideas follow a generally sensible order: you introduce your advice, describe your own accommodation, then give recommendations and a warning. Linking phrases such as “One benefit” and “I also recommend” help the reader follow the main points. However, the response is presented as one continuous block rather than in clear paragraphs, and some connections are awkward. In particular, the sentence beginning “some students do not mention” does not clearly explain how this leads to the stated outcome. Separate the description from the practical advice, and use clearer links such as “As a result” or “To avoid this” to show cause and effect. Overall, the arrangement is coherent, although cohesion is sometimes unclear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main message, including “accommodation,” “department,” “management,” and “confirm.” However, the range is limited and several spelling or word-choice errors make the email less natural, such as “Congradulation,” “hostal,” and “accommodate” where you mean find or live in a place. Some phrases are also awkward, including “selection of accommodation in the hotel” and “meet hostel incharge.” Choose more precise expressions for university housing and checking availability. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the general advice, but more accurate spelling, collocation, and variety would make the message clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, for example, “One benefit of having accommodation near the department is that…” This shows some range, and the main meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms remain noticeable. In “as you asked from me in letter I recieved yesterday,” the clause needs a more natural structure and appropriate articles; “I also recommend you meet hostel incharge” also needs a clearer grammatical pattern, such as “I recommend that you meet the hostel manager.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, and several sentences run together without clear boundaries. Aim to produce accurate short sentences first, then add complex clauses with careful punctuation.

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

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