Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-08

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 5.5)

Dear Sam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this to bring an issue to your attention, about the noise coming from your apartment. Over past few weeks, I have been frequently disturbed by loud noises, particularly during evening and late nights.

Unfortunately, the noise has started to affect my sleep, which causes issues in my day-to-day life. As I need to wake up early for the work, I find it difficult to get enough sleep where is loud noises, music, talking and thumping at late night. I often find it difficult to concentrate during day.

I completely understand that everyone has the right in their home, I hope you don't mind me mentioning this, it would be very conseridate if you can lower the noise after 10 pm.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three required bullet points: describing the noise, explaining the impact, and suggesting a solution. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the tone is appropriate for a letter to a neighbour, the brevity prevents a more thorough exploration of the situation. To improve, you should expand on the specific nature of the disturbances and provide more detail regarding the proposed solution to ensure the response meets the length requirement and demonstrates a more comprehensive approach to the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used, though the paragraphs are quite short due to the limited word count. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Unfortunately' and 'As I need to', which help link ideas. However, the flow is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, ensure that your sentences are connected more fluidly and that you use a wider variety of linking words to transition between your description of the problem and your proposed solution.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and sophistication. You use common phrases like 'bring an issue to your attention' and 'day-to-day life', which are functional but not particularly expressive. There is a spelling error ('conseridate' instead of 'considerate'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise adjectives and collocations related to noise and living conditions. For example, instead of 'loud noises', you could use 'persistent disturbances' or 'excessive volume'. Expanding your range will help you convey your message with more impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Over past few weeks' (missing article), 'for the work' (unnecessary article), and 'where is loud noises' (incorrect structure). These errors do not generally impede communication, but they are frequent enough to affect the overall accuracy. To improve, focus on article usage and sentence construction. Ensure that your complex sentences are grammatically sound by checking for subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage.

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

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