Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-01

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 am living in your downstairs apartment and here I am writing a letter to you regarding noise pollution.

I live with my small family in this apartment. We recently have a baby and he can not sleep at late night because of your volume. I can not speak atleast once to you because i know it's a apartment so there is a noice from everywhere but i found your big sound and also music sound after 12 AM at night so it is rediculus things that all member of apartment understand this but you are not so i want to write a letter to you.

Now, I don't want to fight with you but I think you understand me and my family situation and please after 12 AM if possible volume is down for other member who live in the apartment. Also, whenever You walk please walk slow it's my humble request to you.

Sincerly ,

Your neighbour

Mr. Prayag Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you identify yourself as the downstairs neighbour, explain that late-night music and noise disturb your baby’s sleep, and ask for the volume to be lowered after midnight and for quieter walking. The reason for writing is clear, and the request is relevant and generally polite. This meets the task well, with some elements more fully covered than others: the noise situation is described, but the timing and frequency could be clearer, and the request about walking is not linked to a specific problem as directly as the music is. To strengthen the letter further, explain how often the noise occurs and make the proposed solution more specific, such as asking the neighbour to use headphones or avoid loud music late at night.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable progression from introducing the issue, to explaining its effect on your family, to making a request. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and phrases such as “Now” signal a move to the solution. However, the second paragraph contains several ideas in one long sentence, so the relationship between your understanding of apartment noise and your complaint becomes difficult to follow. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “and” and “but.” Divide the explanation into shorter sentences and use clearer links—for example, contrast your tolerance of ordinary household noise with the specific problem of loud music after midnight. This would make the overall organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main issue, using relevant terms such as “downstairs apartment,” “volume,” “music,” and “sleep.” However, the range is limited, and several choices or spelling errors make the letter less natural or precise. “Noise pollution” sounds overly formal for a neighbourly complaint, while “big sound” and “music sound” are unclear collocations. “Rediculus” and “noice” also show inaccurate spelling. Aim for precise, natural phrases suited to a polite letter, such as “loud music,” “excessive noise,” and “disturbing our baby’s sleep.” A wider range of accurate expressions would help you describe both the noise and its impact more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including explanations with “because” and requests with “please.” The main message remains understandable, but errors in sentence construction and basic grammar are frequent enough to make some parts difficult to read. For example, “We recently have a baby” uses an awkward tense, and “he can not sleep at late night because of your volume” has problems with the verb phrase and sentence structure. The long sentence beginning “I can not speak atleast once to you” also joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise forming shorter, complete sentences, and check articles, verb forms, capitalisation, and punctuation. This will make your requests clearer while preserving your attempts at complex sentences.

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

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