Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-17
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 Uncle,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to inform you that I am bothered by the noise from your floor.
As I'm preparing for my final exam, I need to read at and make sure there is no disturbance at my home, but meanwhile at a lot of noise from upstairs.
Moreover, if I do not prepare well for my finals, I will fail in the exam, and I don't wanna be fail; as i field it cost me more, and i wont able to pay again. Additionally, it is bothering for sleep at night and for my quality time also; praying time.
Hence, I request you to inform them to make less noise, if possible, for this month, as I am preparing for my exam.
See you soon
Your lovingly,
Priyanshi
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all bullet points required by the task prompt: describing the situation (noise from the floor above), explaining why it is a problem (disturbances while preparing for final exams and praying), and suggesting a solution (asking the neighbour to make less noise for the month). However, the response is under the required 150-word minimum, containing only 138 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, there is some confusion in the recipient address, as the letter begins with "Dear Uncle" rather than an upstairs neighbour, though this has a minor impact overall. Ideas are present but under-developed due to the length constraints. Therefore, a band score of 5.5 is appropriate for this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter maintains a generally coherent overall arrangement, and the purpose of the communication is clear from the outset. Cohesive devices such as "Moreover", "Additionally", and "Hence" are used to link ideas, although they are sometimes mechanical or awkward. Paragraphing is attempted, but the letter suffers from an overly dense single body section that lacks clear, logical breaks between the different points (description, problem, solution). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun confusion in "inform them to make less noise" when writing to the neighbour directly. Overall, the organizational structure is basic and meets the descriptors for Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as "disturbance", "prepare", and "quality time". However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing that occasionally cause confusion for the reader. Examples include "read at and make sure", "don't wanna be fail", "as i field it cost me more", and "bothering for sleep". These lexical errors and awkward expressions restrict the score to a Band 5.0, as the vocabulary struggles to convey precise meaning and contains significant inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with structures like conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., "if I do not prepare well for my finals, I will fail"). However, control over grammar and punctuation is weak, with frequent errors including tense inconsistencies, missing prepositions, and spelling/form issues like "i wont able to pay again" and "it is bothering for sleep". These errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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