Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You rent a flat from an accommodation agency. Your neighbour who rents their flat from the same agency plays very loud video games late at night.

Write a letter to the accommodation agency. In your letter

• explain when the problem began

• describe how the noise affects you

• say what you would like the agency to do

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to inform you that i recently moved to a flat on July 7th, 2026 provided by your agency. After moving, I am having some troubles with the guy living next door which is hard to resolve by me.

he plays very loud music all the time which is affecting my whole work and sleeping schedule. I need your attention to this matter.

To briefly review the situation, my neighbour who is a student play very loud music in his apartment which makes hard me to do my work as i am a corporate employee and i mostly do my work from home. i tried to him about the loud music noises coming from hi apartment but the situation is still the same.

I would like your agency to talk to him about the problems he is causing to me or i would be more than happy if your agency can provide me to another apartment.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Tushar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the central issue—your neighbour makes loud noise—and request that the agency speak to him or move you to another flat. However, the response only partly fulfils the task. It does not clearly explain when the noise problem began: the move-in date is given, but the link between that date and the start of the disturbance is not explicit. The effect on you is mentioned through your work and sleep schedule, but the impact could be explained more fully. There is also a mismatch between the prompt’s loud video games and your repeated description of loud music. To strengthen the letter, state when the gaming began, describe specific consequences, and make a clear, practical request for action.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure: it introduces the complaint, gives some background, and ends with a request and polite closing. Paragraphing helps separate these functions. However, progression is not always clear: the opening mentions difficulties with the neighbour, then the next paragraph says “To briefly review the situation,” without adding a clear timeline. The repeated references to loud music also make the explanation feel circular rather than progressively developed. Some links between ideas are awkward, particularly “I tried to him about the loud music,” which interrupts the flow. Organise the details in task order—when it began, its effects, and what action you want—and use clear transitions such as “Since then” and “As a result.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the complaint, including “loud,” “work from home,” “sleeping schedule,” and “prompt attention.” The tone is generally suitable for a formal letter. However, the vocabulary is repetitive, especially the repeated use of “very loud music,” and some word combinations are unnatural or unclear, such as “troubles with the guy” and “talk to him about the problems he is causing to me.” The response also describes music rather than the video games specified in the task, which reduces precision. Choose more exact terms such as “late-night gaming noise” and “disturbance,” and use more natural formal phrases when describing the impact and requesting intervention.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the main message is usually understandable. However, errors in sentence construction, verb forms, agreement, and capitalisation occur often enough to make parts of the letter awkward. For example, “my neighbour … play” needs subject–verb agreement, while “which makes hard me to do my work” has an incorrect word order and missing structure. “I tried to him” also lacks the required verb pattern, and several sentences begin with lowercase “he” or “i.” Review basic sentence patterns and use complete clauses, for example, “I spoke to him about the noise, but it has continued.” More accurate control of these forms would make your request clearer and more professional.

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

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