Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-04

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/ madam

I am writing to inform you that my laptop is not working because of this, I am not able to do work.To explain this, my kids falls down the water on the keyboard and water was hot due to this, I am unable use keyboard.

Additionally, I have no other laptop at this time and i am not able to do any task . Laptops is very important in our work to do work. I tried to do work with a phone but i am not able to design graphs in it. In our company, we are not able to work without designing graphs.

Therefore, I would really appreciate you that if you could give me some time to buy a new laptop. I hope you understand my situation. I am looking forward to your response.

Kind regards,

khushveer kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the problem, explaining the impact on work, and stating what is required. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the score. The ideas are somewhat repetitive, particularly the focus on the inability to design graphs, which limits the development of the response. To improve, you should expand on the specific nature of the technical fault and provide a more professional request for a solution, such as requesting a repair or a replacement under warranty, rather than asking for 'time to buy a new laptop', which is unclear in this context.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and simple sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Additionally' and 'Therefore', but they are somewhat mechanical. The flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the first paragraph where the explanation of the accident is slightly confusing. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence builds clearly upon the previous one to create a more cohesive narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'do work' are used multiple times, which limits the range of expression. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'kids falls down the water on the keyboard'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and precision prevents a higher score. You should aim to use more specific vocabulary related to office equipment and technical issues, such as 'malfunction', 'spilled liquid', or 'professional requirements', to demonstrate a better command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('kids falls down', 'Laptops is very important') and punctuation errors (missing spaces after commas, incorrect capitalization). The sentence structures are predominantly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of errors is noticeable and occasionally distracts the reader. To improve, focus on basic subject-verb agreement and proofreading for punctuation, and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures using subordinating conjunctions like 'although', 'because', or 'which'.

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

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