Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-25

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 Neighbour,

I hope you are good. I am writing to let you know about noises coming from your apartment upstairs.

Recently, the loud noises are frequently coming out from your apartment, especially in the late hours. The noticeable sounds of music, loud footsteps and heavy furniture being moved.

As I worked early in the morning, I needed a peaceful sleep to concertare in day. However, That noises often wakes me up in the middle of night and sometimes it is becoming a problem to fall for sleep. Furthermore, it also disturbed my relaxing time in the evening.

However, I am understanding that living in the apartments sometimes noisy and I completely respect your lifestyle. But I would be very grateful if you could please reduces them by using some percautions, such as low the volume of the music, avoid to move heavy furniture and use rugs to reduce the noise of footsteps.

Thanks for understaning and cooperating

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student has successfully covered all parts of the prompt in a friendly yet appropriate tone. The letter begins by describing the situation, noting the 'noises coming from your apartment upstairs,' such as music, footsteps, and heavy furniture being moved. It effectively explains why this is a problem by stating that the noise disturbs sleep and relaxation time before an early workday. Finally, a practical solution is offered, including lowering music volume, avoiding moving furniture late, and using rugs. All bullet points are fully addressed with relevant details, demonstrating a clear purpose and communicative effect that aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a clear logical progression and organization throughout. It begins with an appropriate greeting, moves through the problem and its impact, and concludes with polite suggestions and a sign-off. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different ideas, such as the description of the noise in the second paragraph and the personal impact in the third. Cohesive devices are generally used appropriately, though there are minor mechanical transitions like repetitive starting phrases ('However') that place it firmly at the Band 6 level for overall cohesive flow and referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'heavy furniture being moved' and 'peaceful sleep.' However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors that impede natural expression, such as 'concertare in day' (instead of 'concentrate during the day'), 'fall for sleep' (instead of 'fall asleep'), and 'reduces them' (instead of 'reduce the noise'). Spelling errors like 'understaning' and 'cooperating' also occur at the end. Because these lexical inaccuracies are frequent, the response fits the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text, including tense and preposition misuse such as 'As I worked early in the morning' (should be 'work'), 'That noises often wakes' (should be 'Those noises wake'), and 'avoid to move' (should be 'avoid moving'). While the meaning remains generally clear despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 5 the most accurate descriptor.

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

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