Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear Mohan,

I hope you are doing well. I'm just writing about the problems my family and I face every day due to some noise coming from your apartment, especially in the morning as well as in the evening.

In the morning, we hear sounds of footsteps that I think your kids are running fast, and it creates noise on our roof; sometimes, you may be using your kitchen appliances early in the morning. Additionally, you are playing loud music in the evening that can bother us due to its noise,

It can disturb our whole schedule, as my family members sleep late into the morning that your kids disturb us while they start playing early in the morning

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the main situation—noise from footsteps and music—and explain that it affects your family’s routine and sleep. However, the response is incomplete: it does not offer the requested solution, and the reason the noise is a problem is only briefly explained. The letter also contains 119 words, below the required 150, so there is not enough development of the points. To strengthen the response, add a polite, specific request, such as asking the neighbour to keep the children from running early or lower the music in the evening, and explain how this would help your family.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter begins appropriately and moves from describing the noise to explaining its effect, so the reader can identify the general purpose. The time markers “In the morning” and “Additionally” help distinguish examples. However, the response stops before completing the letter, and the final sentence repeats the idea of early-morning disturbance rather than progressing to a solution or closing request. The second paragraph also ends with a comma, leaving the connection between ideas unfinished. Organise the letter into clear paragraphs for the situation, its impact, and your proposed solution, then add a courteous closing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant everyday vocabulary to describe the issue, including “footsteps,” “kitchen appliances,” “loud music,” and “disturb.” These choices make the topic clear, and the tone is generally suitable for a neighbour. The range is nevertheless limited, with repeated use of “noise” and “disturb,” and some phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “creates noise on our roof” and “due to its noise.” More precise collocations would make the complaint clearer and more tactful. For example, describe “footsteps overhead” or “music at a high volume,” and use “disrupts our sleep” to explain the effect.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the sentence beginning “Additionally” and the clause “as my family members sleep late.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. In “footsteps that I think your kids are running fast,” the clause does not connect grammatically; write, for example, “footsteps, which I think are caused by your children running.” The final sentence also has an unclear structure and repeats “that” clauses. In addition, the second paragraph ends with a comma rather than a full stop. Use shorter, complete sentences to explain each example and its effect.

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