Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-28
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)
My neighbours attitude towards music is becoming a stumbling block to the up coming exam i would be having in the next coming week.
My new recently neighbours play music at night not just mere playing of music but to its loud volume and it is seriously affecting my studies prior to the upcoming exam i would be having in the next two weeks.
having sharing side by side neighbour in our appartment makes it difficult to prevent noise discomfortness to the next door neighbour due to the compctment of the buiklding.
Innitially, it was a noisless apartment, very conducive for learning and comfortable for learning due to its quiet form but the past one week, the quiet aspect of it hasbecome history due to my new next door neighbour.This makes it very difficult for concentration and understanding while reading. It does not end there. Most of the time, getting onesself to sleep could be like applying for an entry into a difficult country.
I would like the council or tge agency to look into the situation, provide adequate measure, intimating my neighbour on the issue, making my next door neighbour understand the implications and the precautions that could be taking by the government if such continues.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The student successfully explains the problem regarding the neighbours playing loud music at night, details why it is causing difficulties with upcoming exams and sleep, and states what action they would like taken. However, there is a misunderstanding regarding who should take action, as the writer appeals to 'the council or the agency' rather than addressing the neighbours directly or communicating with a landlord/management body relevant to a residential noise complaint. Despite this slight misinterpretation of the appropriate recipient for a direct neighbour letter, the core ideas are relevant and developed well enough to satisfy the requirements of a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text demonstrates a basic overall arrangement, but paragraphing is erratic and some sentences run together awkwardly. Cohesive devices are occasionally used, but referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the sudden shift from addressing neighbours to involving a council or agency in the final paragraph. Progression between ideas feels somewhat disjointed due to frequent structural breaks and repetitive phrasing ('due to its quiet form', 'due to my new next door neighbour'). While the letter moves from introducing the problem to discussing consequences and finally suggesting a remedy, the mechanical nature of the cohesion and faulty paragraph breaks place this performance firmly at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses a limited range of vocabulary with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Words and phrases such as 'stumbling block', 'noise discomfortness', 'compctment of the buiklding', and 'noisless' contain spelling mistakes and unnatural collocations. While there are attempts to use less common terms like 'conducive for learning', inaccurate word formation and spelling errors ('Innitially', 'intimating', 'taking') restrict the lexical score. Communication is achieved despite the errors, but the vocabulary remains minimally adequate for this task level, aligning with Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response, featuring a high frequency of errors that impede smooth reading. There are run-on sentences and issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'exam i would be having in the next coming week' and 'My new recently neighbours play music'. Complex sentence structures are frequently faulty, and punctuation is inconsistently applied, with missing capitalisation and spacing errors (e.g., 'neighbour.This makes'). Although a mix of simple and complex forms is attempted, the density of errors places this text at a Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 due to the successful communication of basic meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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