Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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 6.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complaint about my neighbour who has rented the next door flat from your agency. He plays video games with high volume till late at night.

My neighbour name is smith. He loves playing video games at night. He finishes his work early in the evening and start playing games on his Xbox with loud sound. He keeps the volume high till 2am. The noise echos through my apartment as if someone is playing next to my ears.

I am a student and I have to get up early in the morning. The disturbance form this noise is affecting my sleep pattern. I get dizzy with spontaneous headaches throughout the day because of lack of sleep.

I would like to request for flat replacement. Please find me a new flat in the same building. I have searched your website and found flat no 102 and 104 empty. I would like to relocate in one of these two apartments.

I would greatly appreciate your cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

John.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose. You explain that the neighbour plays games until 2 a.m., describe the effects on your sleep and health, and make a specific request to move to one of two available flats. Details such as having to get up early and experiencing headaches help support your complaint. The request for relocation is clear, although it would be stronger to first ask the agency to address the neighbour’s noise, or explain why moving is your preferred solution. The account of when the problem began is also not fully explicit: you describe the neighbour’s routine, but do not say when this behaviour started. These details keep the response from developing every part equally fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: you introduce the complaint, describe the neighbour’s behaviour, explain its impact, and then state the action you want. Paragraphing supports this progression, and links such as “The disturbance” and “because of lack of sleep” make the relationship between the noise and its consequences easy to follow. The closing is also appropriate for a formal letter. To make the organisation more polished, connect the request for a new flat more explicitly to the earlier explanation of the problem, and avoid abrupt shifts between details—for example, the neighbour’s name and work routine could be introduced more smoothly. Overall, the letter is easy to follow, though some transitions could be more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to explain the complaint and its effects, including “disturbance,” “sleep pattern,” “spontaneous headaches,” and “relocate.” These choices communicate the situation clearly, and the comparison “as if someone is playing next to my ears” gives the noise a vivid description. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or less natural, however: “write to complaint” should be “write to complain,” “high volume” would be more natural as “at a high volume,” and “flat replacement” is not the usual phrase for moving to another apartment. Capitalisation of “Smith” and “Xbox” also needs attention. More precise, natural phrasing would make the formal complaint sound more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter combines straightforward statements with some longer structures, such as “I am a student and I have to get up early in the morning” and “I get dizzy … because of lack of sleep.” Most sentences are understandable, and the errors do not prevent the reader from following your complaint. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain: “My neighbour name” needs a possessive form (“My neighbour’s name”), and “he … start playing” should be “he … starts playing.” In “I would like to request for flat replacement,” the sentence pattern is also incorrect; use “request a different flat” or “request a flat transfer.” Aim to check possessives, subject–verb agreement, and the grammatical patterns required by verbs such as “request.”

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

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