Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-03

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

New neighbours have recently moved into the house/flat next door to where you live. You have examinations soon, but your neighbours play music late at night which is affecting your studies and sleep.

• explain what the problem is
• why it is causing you difficulties
• what action you would like them to take

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Mr. Peter,

I hope you are doing well and finishes set up your house completely. I am your neighbor from house no. - 486 writing this letter in account of late night noise.

I understand, you plays DJ for to relax late night. But as my home is just next left to your I always get disturbs by high decibel.

Next week I have my competitive exam, so I am studying till early in the morning. I tried to use earplug and tightened my windows and doors to reduce the noise however it still affected my studies and did not let me to concentrate.

I want you to understand my situation and play music at certain lower volume within your space.

Th

Best regards,

Mark

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: identifying the problem, explaining the impact on studies, and requesting a solution. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a neighbour, though the abrupt ending ('Th') suggests an incomplete draft. To improve, you should expand on the impact of the noise and provide a more polite, formal closing to ensure the letter is fully developed and meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. Phrases like 'I understand' and 'Next week' are used to transition, but the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. The abrupt ending significantly disrupts the coherence of the final paragraph. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your ideas are connected more smoothly throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic phrases like 'play music' and 'reduce the noise'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'next left to your' and 'in account of'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there are errors in word choice that occasionally make the writing sound unnatural. Expanding your range to include more specific descriptive language would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'finishes set up your house' (should be 'have finished setting up'), 'you plays DJ' (subject-verb agreement), and 'did not let me to concentrate' (incorrect verb pattern). While you attempt some complex sentences, they often contain errors that distract the reader. The punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the incomplete sentence at the end. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms will help improve your accuracy significantly.

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