Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-23

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 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

i am writing the letter to let you know that my printer which i use for my work at home is not working properly. I have some really important work due for my clients as various projects are pending and my assistant is not well so i am handling the situation alone.

Let me explain my situation i work as an architect and i design commercial and resedential buildings, for that i need to print out my designs to show the clients. Now the equipment is not performing well mainly the colored priniting is not working.

Would you kindly repair or deliver me another printer so that i can continue my work and complete all the pending projects. As its causing lose to my job and my clients are also suffering. I urgently need an action on this.

Kind Regards

Priyanka Kashyap

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: the problem is described, the impact on work is explained, and a request for action is made. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall task completion. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat brief and could have been expanded to better demonstrate a professional tone. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, but the brevity prevents a more thorough development of the situation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. There is a reliance on simple sentence structures and a lack of varied linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'therefore'). The transition between the description of the problem and the impact on work is a bit abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences would significantly enhance the coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some spelling errors, such as 'resedential' and 'priniting', and word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as 'causing lose to my job' instead of 'causing a loss of productivity'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more specific professional terminology related to equipment failure and business operations, and ensure greater accuracy in spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent errors in punctuation and capitalization, such as the failure to capitalize 'I' and the lack of proper sentence boundaries (e.g., 'Let me explain my situation i work as an architect'). These errors are noticeable and detract from the formal tone. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of control over basic grammatical conventions limits the score.

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

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