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 Jazz,

I am writing this letter to give a advice about finding a place to live.

First of all congradulation for your visa and I am so happy that you are coming here. As I was also the student of this university and I used to live in an apartment which was close to the university and I do not think you will any transportation from there for the university.

I can give you the contact number of my landlord, she is so kind, and she will definitely help you. You can visit her after 10 am and she works till 5 pm, and you cannot meet her after 5 pm.

I want you understand

one thing that is do not buy cheaper apartment as many students do this mistake, because cheaper apartments also have some problems like bad neighbour or no good accomodies.

As I lived in that appartment, so i can suggest you that only.

Take care

Your lovingly,

Tarun

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you describe living in an apartment near the university, offer your former landlord’s contact as a way to find accommodation, and warn against choosing a place solely because it is cheap. The advice is relevant and the friendly tone suits an email to a friend. However, some points are less fully developed than others. For example, the landlord’s visiting hours are detailed, but you do not explain how your friend can obtain the contact number or suggest other ways to search. The warning about “bad neighbour” and “no good accomodies” is also unclear, so the risks would be more useful if explained precisely. Develop these details to make the advice more complete and practical.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The email has a recognisable sequence: an opening, information about your former accommodation, a recommendation, a warning, and a sign-off. Phrases such as “First of all” and “As I lived in that apartment” help connect the ideas, and the paragraphs broadly separate the main points. However, the progression is sometimes mechanical, and the recommendation and warning could be organised more clearly. The sentence about the landlord’s hours interrupts the explanation of how to find accommodation, while “I want you understand / one thing” is separated from the warning it introduces. Group each piece of advice into a focused paragraph and use clearer links between the recommendation, its practical details, and the caution.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the main advice, including “close to the university,” “landlord,” and “cheaper apartment.” The friendly register is generally appropriate for writing to a friend. However, the range is limited and several spelling or word-choice errors make parts of the message less clear, such as “congradulation,” “accomodies,” and “lovingly.” Some expressions are also unnatural, including “give a advice” and “do this mistake.” Choose accurate, natural phrases and check spelling carefully; this will make your advice easier to understand and more fluent. You could also use more precise accommodation vocabulary to explain the problems a low-cost apartment might have.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can generally follow your main message. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “I do not think you will any transportation from there for the university” is missing a verb construction, and “I want you understand one thing that is do not buy” has an incomplete pattern and unclear punctuation. There are also errors with articles and sentence structure in “give a advice” and “As I lived in that apartment, so I can suggest you that only.” Practise building advice with clear patterns, such as “I don’t think you’ll need transport” and “I suggest that you avoid…”. Breaking long sentences into shorter ones will improve accuracy.

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

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