Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26
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 4.5)
Dear sir james
My name is jose nicolas carlos and i heared you're the new neighbor in the same agency, I'm happy that i have a new neighbor but i noticed something that bothers my study, i have an exam tommorow in english class, and i have to study tonight and i heared some noice coming out in your room, are you playing video games? what video games you playing? is that god of war i used to play that when i was 14 years old on my portable play station, let's hang out and play games after my exam tommorow. for now i would like you to minimize the noise of your speaker games if that's okay to you, help me to pass the exam by minimizing the noise of your video games because it's really important to pass on my english subject i will be happy for your kindness.
your neighbor nicolas.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0
The response is largely off-topic because it is written to the neighbour rather than to the accommodation agency, despite the required opening “Dear Sir or Madam”. It does mention that the noise is happening now and that it interferes with studying, but it does not explain when the problem began beyond the immediate situation of an exam tomorrow. The request is also directed to the neighbour (“minimize the noise”) rather than asking the agency to take action. The friendly questions about games and an invitation to play do not help fulfil the letter’s purpose. To improve, address the agency formally, describe when the late-night noise started and its effects, and clearly request a specific intervention.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
There is a basic sequence of ideas: the writer introduces themself, mentions the noise, explains a study-related effect, and asks for quieter gaming. However, the letter does not progress as a formal complaint to an agency, and the shift from the noise problem to questions about “God of War” and an invitation to play makes the purpose difficult to follow. Most content is presented in one long paragraph, with little separation between the problem, its impact, and the requested action. The closing is present, but the salutation and sign-off do not create an appropriate agency-letter frame. Use separate paragraphs and clear links such as “The noise began…” and “I would therefore ask the agency to…”
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic situation, with relevant terms such as “noise,” “study,” “exam,” and “video games.” There is some repetition, particularly of “noise” and “video games,” and several choices are inaccurate or informal for a complaint letter, including “speaker games” and “hang out.” Spelling errors such as “heared,” “noice,” and “tommorow” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the message, although the intended meaning is generally recoverable. A more suitable range would include phrases such as “excessive noise,” “late-night gaming,” and “disrupts my sleep and studies.” Choosing vocabulary that matches a formal request would make the letter clearer and more effective.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts some longer sentence structures, for example linking the need to study with the noise and making a request, but these sentences are often joined without clear punctuation. The opening sentence contains a run-on structure, and the sequence “what video games you playing?” lacks the auxiliary verb needed for a question. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including lowercase “i” and the absence of clear sentence boundaries in several places. These issues sometimes make the reader work to identify where one idea ends and another begins, though the main meaning remains understandable. Practise forming complete questions and separating related ideas into shorter, correctly punctuated sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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