Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-06

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 6.0)

Dear Me Smith,

I am writing to complain about the loud noise which comes from your apartment.

Owing to the loud and frequent noise at nighttime, my family's sleep schedule and our quality time have been severely affected. Moreover, we are unable to host any family gatherings at home and are forced to book venues outside.

I hope we can come up with a solution. As a neighbour, I kindly request you to be more considerate of your actions and how they affect others.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerly,

ABZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main issue—frequent nighttime noise—and explain its effects on your family’s sleep and ability to host gatherings. However, the task is only partially addressed: the situation is not described with concrete details, such as when the noise occurs or what it sounds like, and the proposed solution is vague. “Be more considerate” does not specify a practical request, such as keeping music or television quieter after a certain time. The response also contains 94 words, below the required 150, so there is limited space to develop the points. Add specific examples, make a clear and workable request, and explain how you hope to resolve the matter politely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: it states the complaint, describes its effects, makes a request, and closes appropriately. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “I hope” help the reader follow the progression, and the short paragraphs separate the main functions of the letter. To make the organisation more complete, develop each point in its own paragraph and use the additional space to connect details more smoothly—for example, describe the noise before explaining its impact. The transition from the effects on sleep and gatherings to the general request is understandable, but a specific proposed solution would create a stronger logical link between the problem and the conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the situation, including “frequent noise,” “quality time,” “family gatherings,” and “solution.” These choices communicate the complaint clearly, and “severely affected” adds emphasis. Some phrasing is less natural or precise: “noise at nighttime” could be expressed more idiomatically, while “considerate of your actions” is broad and does not identify the behaviour you want changed. There are also spelling errors in “Me Smith” and “sincerly”; these are lexical accuracy issues. Aim for precise, courteous language that names the disturbance and the requested change, such as loud music late at night or keeping noise down after a particular hour.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

Your sentences are generally clear, and you show some range by using a complex opening phrase, “Owing to the loud and frequent noise at nighttime,” as well as the coordinated clause “we are unable to host … and are forced to book.” The present-tense forms are mostly controlled, and the reader can understand the message without difficulty. However, the response relies on a small number of sentence patterns, so the range is not yet broad. The salutation “Dear Me Smith” also has an article error; use “Dear Ms Smith” if that is the neighbour’s name. Expand the letter with varied sentence structures, including a polite conditional request, while checking punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.