Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-20

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 Tamanna,

I would like to talk about noise coming from your apartment. I noticed it from last week, while I thought that you understand it without any complaint. I want to say you that it is a heavy impact on my mental issue, however I am a migraine patient and whenever I listen that noise my head starts paining. So it has badly impact on my mental health and peace. Therefore i am requesting you to manage this noise which come from your apartment continuously. Moreover, I have a solution for this problem to tackle it easily. I have to go to office from 10-5 p.m. at that time you can do your work. Because of this your work is also completed in sometime and it does not put any impact on me. As a result everything is managed easily without any misbehave and issue. I appreciate you if you understand my pain and work on my solution. Thank you.

Yours truly

Deepika

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you describe ongoing noise from the neighbour’s apartment, explain that it aggravates your migraines and affects your peace, and propose that noisy work be done while you are at the office. The purpose and request are clear, and the letter uses an appropriate greeting and sign-off. However, some ideas are less fully explained than others. For example, “your work” is not specified, so the neighbour may not know which activities you mean, and the proposed 10–5 arrangement is presented without checking whether it is practical for them. Briefly identifying the noise and suggesting a mutually agreed quiet period would make the solution clearer and develop the request more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a generally understandable order: it raises the noise issue, explains its effect, and then offers a solution. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Therefore,” and “As a result” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression is sometimes mechanical, and several ideas are crowded into one paragraph, making the request harder to follow. The connection between the neighbour’s work and the proposed office hours is also not fully clear. Use separate paragraphs for the problem and its effect, then the proposed arrangement, and choose simpler links where the relationship is direct. Clearer reference to what “this noise” and “your work” mean would also improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “noise,” “migraine patient,” “mental health,” and “solution.” However, the range is limited and several word combinations are unnatural or imprecise, which sometimes makes the message difficult to interpret. For instance, “heavy impact on my mental issue” and “it has badly impact on my mental health” do not express the effect naturally; “misbehave” is also not the right word for avoiding conflict. Aim for accurate, natural phrases rather than adding formal-sounding wording. More precise terms for the source of the noise and its effect would make the letter clearer and more appropriate for a polite neighbourly request.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a reason clause beginning “whenever” and a sentence explaining when the neighbour could do the work. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “I noticed it from last week,” “I want to say you,” and “I appreciate you if you understand,” where tense or clause structure needs correction. There are also issues with agreement and sentence boundaries, as in “noise which come” and the comma before “however.” Practise forming clear clauses and checking verb forms; for example, “I have been hearing the noise since last week” and “I would appreciate it if you could understand.”

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

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