Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You live in a small apartment building. You are frequently bothered by noise from your upstairs neighbour's apartment.

Write a letter to your neighbour. In your letter
• describe the situation.
• explain why it is a problem for you.
• suggest a solution.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 5.0)

dear neighbor,

first of all i hope you are doing well. i would inform you that i have some concerns about noise from your side which i hear frequently by your side. i know everybody likes music in loud volume, you and your friends do late nights party on high volume music which irritates me.

however, i am focusing mainly on studies that time, so during morning time i am on my work so i have only time to get for my studies that time your noise disturb me and distract my mind from my study.

so, i have only one solution for that i should call the cops and tell them all my problem. on the other hand, you can solve your own like if you can listen music so make sure the volume is low which you hear only and no body can disturb. i hope you understands this.

Thank you

your faithfully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the noise, explaining the impact on studies, and suggesting a solution. However, the tone is inconsistent and inappropriate for a formal or semi-formal letter to a neighbour. Threatening to 'call the cops' in the first instance is aggressive and lacks the social nuance required for a General Training task. While the ideas are relevant, the development is somewhat simplistic and the overall tone is confrontational rather than polite, which affects the effectiveness of the communication.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the misuse of 'however' to introduce a new point about studying. The progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed, particularly the transition between the problem and the proposed solution. The lack of proper punctuation and the inconsistent use of capital letters throughout the text make the flow of information feel fragmented and difficult to follow at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'noise from your side' and 'loud volume' are basic. There are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'inform you that i have some concerns' (which sounds unnatural) and 'distract my mind from my study'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic message, but it lacks the precision and range required for a higher band score. The tone is also not well-suited to the context of a letter to a neighbour.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing contains frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('on my work', 'in loud volume'), incorrect verb forms ('you understands'), and significant punctuation issues (lack of capitalisation for 'I', improper sentence boundaries). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with few attempts at complex sentences. The errors are persistent and occasionally impede the reader's understanding, particularly in the final paragraph. A greater focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for punctuation is necessary.

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

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