Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-13

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You work at home and have a problem with a piece of equipment that you use for your job.

Write a letter to the shop or company which supplied the equipment. In your letter

• describe the problem with the equipment
• explain how this problem is affecting your work
• say what you want the shop or company to do

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear sir or madam,

I brought a laptop from your store gada electronics Ahmedabad, on 14/08/24. The model is microsoft surface. I’m using this for last 2 years and now I notice that laptop have battery issues. It’s drain very Fastly. Like in hours it drain 60%.

It’s affect on my job as well. I’m full time job work from home. So if same times I don’t get enough time to charge the laptop so how could i work on my laptop. like this? and some time it's also talk so much time to turn on.

for all this problems i request you to solve my problem or replace another pic of same model of laptop.

is very kind of you to understand my issue

thank you.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: describing the problem, explaining the impact on work, and requesting a solution. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The explanation of how the battery issue affects your work is quite brief and lacks detail. To improve, you should expand on the specific nature of your work and why a reliable laptop is essential, providing more context to fully develop the response. Because the length requirement was not met, the task is not fully addressed in terms of depth and expected length.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is divided into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited, making the flow feel somewhat disjointed. For example, the transition between describing the problem and explaining its impact is abrupt. Using linking words such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'as a result' would help connect your ideas more logically. Additionally, the paragraphing is inconsistent, and the overall progression of the letter could be smoother to ensure the reader follows your argument without effort.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, which limits your ability to convey the situation with precision. You rely on simple verbs like 'drain' and 'talk' (likely a typo for 'take'). There are also errors in word choice and form, such as 'Fastly' (which is not a standard adverb; 'quickly' or 'rapidly' would be better) and 'replace another pic' (which is informal and unclear). To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise terminology related to technical issues, such as 'malfunctioning', 'defective', or 'performance degradation'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'I brought a laptop' (should be 'bought'), 'It’s drain very Fastly' (incorrect verb form and adverb usage), and 'some time it's also talk so much time' (incorrect word choice and tense). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and sentence boundaries. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tenses will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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