Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-26

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 6.0)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

It has been a month since you moved here. I have met you both at the cultural event in the building. Well, as you are aware I'm practicing in psychology, I wanted to inform you that I have my examinations soon. Firstly, it has been a great experience and I feel safe living around such good humans. Unfortunately, I have been suffering from lack of sleep and it has now started affecting my studies. However, from the past two weeks the sound of your music has been a constant problem of my sleep cycle.

I have been observing that the music played at night is quite loud and it is uncomfortable to sleep with so much noise. Actually, I'm an early bird and I like to study when I wake up but from last few days, the music has been a hurdle between my study and sleep. The uncomfortable sleep has started affecting my grades in pre-tests. I feel tired all day and my concentration has reduced to level zero. Apart from that, I don't want to suffer with this situation as my externals are coming ahead. I request you both, to keep the volume low or maybe change the timing of playing your music.

Lastly, I hope that you will look into this matter seriously as it has badly affected my health.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Harman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain the problem (loud music at night), the impact on your studies and sleep, and provide a specific request for action. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a neighbour, although the opening is slightly informal. The ideas are well-developed, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between the pleasantries and the complaint is smoother, as the shift from 'good humans' to 'suffering from lack of sleep' feels slightly abrupt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'Lastly' to guide the reader. However, some of the transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the use of 'However' and 'Actually' in the second paragraph. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the first and second paragraphs could be improved by better linking the introduction of the problem to the specific request for action. Overall, the message is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'constant problem of my sleep cycle' and 'concentration has reduced to level zero'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'practicing in psychology' (likely meaning 'studying psychology') and 'externals are coming ahead' (which is not standard phrasing). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and natural collocation required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of formal expressions would enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'from the past two weeks' (should be 'for the past two weeks') and 'from last few days' (should be 'for the last few days'). Additionally, 'I don't want to suffer with this situation' is slightly unnatural; 'suffer from' would be more accurate. While these errors are present, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on preposition usage and ensuring consistent verb tenses when discussing ongoing situations.

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

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