Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-21

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. Sharma,

I am writing this letter to complain about playing late night music into the house affects my study as well as sleep.

My name is Shivani, and i am living next door to you. I am facing difficulties in studies and sleep because of the music played at night. For instance, i am not able to concentrate on my studies as my examination is about to start. whenever, i starts study, the noise of the music distract me a lot. If I talk about my sleeping habit I am not able to sleep in a extreme noise. I need a proper silence while sleeping.

I am now suggesting you please don not play music after 8 pm at night as this is the time of my study. Rather you can play music at a low voice which is only audible to you.

I anticipate your prompt atten

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the problem is identified, the impact on studies and sleep is explained, and a specific request for action is made. However, the response is incomplete as it cuts off abruptly at the end ('I anticipate your prompt atten'), which prevents a formal closing. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and could be developed with more sophistication to better suit the formal tone required for a letter to a neighbour. The tone is generally appropriate, but the abrupt ending significantly impacts the overall task completion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition 'If I talk about my sleeping habit' is quite informal and clunky. The progression of ideas is logical, but the lack of a proper conclusion due to the incomplete sentence disrupts the flow of the text. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your paragraphs transition smoothly into one another.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'playing late night music' and 'in a extreme noise' are slightly unnatural. There are also some word-choice errors, such as 'don not' (a typo) and 'at a low voice' (should be 'at a low volume'). While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to basic, everyday language. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more specific collocations related to noise complaints and academic pressure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('whenever, i starts study', 'the noise... distract me') and article usage ('in a extreme noise'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of lowercase 'i' for the first-person pronoun. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, though they do not fully impede communication. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will help improve your score.

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

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