Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-03

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 5.0)

Dear sir,

I am writting this letter to request you not to play music late at night as it affects my studies and I have an exam soon.

My name is Tarun and I am your neighbour at 104 Kilbride Ave and I am unable to ficus on my studies when you play music late at night. This exam is quite important my career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the central problem—late-night music—and explain that it affects your studies, adding that an exam is coming soon. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it does not explain how the noise affects your sleep, give much detail about the difficulties, or clearly state a specific action you want the neighbours to take beyond the opening request not to play music late at night. The exam’s importance to your career is mentioned but not developed. The response also falls 86 words short of the required minimum, leaving too little space to cover and develop all three bullet points. Add a polite request, such as lowering the volume or stopping music after a particular time, and explain the consequences for your preparation and rest.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The message has a recognisable letter opening and a basic sequence: you make a request, identify yourself, and explain the effect of the music. The repeated reference to late-night music keeps the topic clear. However, the response is too brief to establish a clear overall progression, and the second paragraph combines your address, the study problem, and the exam’s importance without developing their links. There is no closing or sign-off, so the letter feels unfinished. Organise the message into short paragraphs—for example, introduce yourself and the problem, explain its effects, then make a specific request and close politely. Use linking phrases to show how the noise affects both your study and sleep.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use basic vocabulary that communicates the main situation, including “play music late at night,” “affects my studies,” and “exam.” This is enough for the reader to understand your concern, but the range is limited and several choices or spellings reduce accuracy. “Writting” and “ficus” are misspellings, while “This exam is quite important my career” does not express the intended relationship naturally. Expand the vocabulary to describe the impact more precisely, such as difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep, or preparation for examinations. Check spelling carefully and use natural collocations, for example, “important for my career” or “important to my future career.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You form a few understandable simple and compound sentences, including “I am your neighbour at 104 Kilbride Ave and I am unable to…” and the clause beginning “when you play music.” The basic meaning is generally recoverable, but the range of sentence structures is narrow, and errors appear in the sentence about the exam: “This exam is quite important my career” is missing a grammatical link between “important” and “my career.” The opening also joins the request and its reason in a simple structure, with little variety. Practise accurate patterns such as “This exam is important for my career” and “Because the music continues late, I cannot concentrate or sleep well.” Use a wider mix of sentence forms while checking articles, prepositions, and punctuation.

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