Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-27

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 neighbour,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to complain about the music late at night, which is affecting my studies. I cannot sleep well because I have a headache from the loud volume.

I regret to inform you that, due to your music, I cannot focus on my studies. It is causing a disturbance in my learning. My exams will start on 1st October. It is causing difficulties for me because my window is just next to your door, and the loud volume comes directly into my room.

It would be great if you could lower your music volume or turn off the speaker at midnight until my exams end. After that, you can continue.

I would appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

Best wishes,

Your neighbour

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions: it explains the problem with the late-night music, details why it is causing difficulties due to the proximity of the window and upcoming exams, and requests a specific action of lowering the volume or turning off the speaker until exams end. A polite and appropriate semi-formal tone for a letter to a neighbour is maintained throughout. However, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 132 words. Consequently, this negative impact on task completion pulls the Task Achievement score down. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the under-length nature means the ideas lack full expansion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a clear and logical organisation from the opening greeting and statement of the problem to the explanation of difficulties, the requested solution, and the closing sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body points, and the concluding action. Cohesive devices are handled adequately, for example, using 'due to your music' and 'after that'. Referencing is generally clear, such as 'my exams' and 'your door'. Although the layout and paragraph structure are sound, the limited overall length restricts the potential for more sophisticated transitions and cohesive progression between ideas, placing it firmly in the band 6 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to successfully communicate the core message. Words and phrases such as 'complain', 'headphone volume', 'focus on my studies', and 'prompt attention' are clear and appropriate. However, the lexical range is rather basic and repetitive, seen in the frequent reuse of 'music', 'volume', and 'studies' across the short text. There is also an awkward collocation in 'lower your music volume'. While there are no spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication, the lack of less common or more precise lexical items prevents the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I cannot sleep well because I have a headache from the loud volume' and 'It would be great if you could lower your music volume.' Grammatical accuracy is reasonably good, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout the letter. The errors are minimal, and communication is never impeded. There is a control of conditional structures in 'It would be great if you could...'. However, the range of structures remains somewhat limited due to the shortness of the text, preventing it from reaching higher bands which require a wider variety of complex structures deployed with greater frequency.

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

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