Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-16

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday
• describe some possible disadvantages
• say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Cheryl,

How are you doing? I am writing this letter regarding your interest in going for a camping holiday for the first time this summer. In the message you sent to me, you requested I give a few tips that will guide you for your next camping holiday.

Camping holidays can be quite interesting. This is because of its educational benefit: it helps individuals develop a sense of adaptation. For example, during the last summer holiday, I went camping with my sister and we had a lot to adapt such as sleeping in a tent rather than our usual comfortable bed and learning to associate with people who had the same interests. I believe going to camping will be fun for you because of these benefits and fun activities that go on there.

There are few possible drawbacks to this. Most camps in West London are not properly fumigated, which means there are most likely to be insects that might make your stay uncomfortable. I would advise you to go with mosquito repellemts and keep yourself protected.

I would have really loved to go with you this summer in order to make it worthwhile, but unfortunately, my parents had already planned a vacation for us .

I look forward to hearing your wonderful experience when you return. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Emela.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you explain that camping offers learning and enjoyable activities, mention insects as a possible drawback, and clearly say you cannot join because your parents have planned a vacation. The personal example about adapting to tent life helps make your advice relevant. However, the enjoyment point is more developed than the disadvantages, which are limited to insects and a brief suggestion for protection; the task would be covered more fully by adding another practical drawback, such as weather or limited facilities. Your reason for declining is clear, though a warmer, more direct response to your friend’s invitation would strengthen the letter’s personal purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, a paragraph about benefits, one about drawbacks, and a closing that explains whether you can go. This progression makes the main message easy to follow, and phrases such as “For example” and “but unfortunately” help connect ideas. Some links are less smooth or precise, however. “In the message you sent to me” repeats the opening idea about the friend’s interest, while “This is because of its educational benefit” leads into a somewhat awkward explanation. The final “Thank you” also feels less natural than a direct friendly sign-off. More concise transitions and clearer links between each piece of advice would make the cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a friendly advice letter, including relevant expressions such as “possible drawbacks,” “sense of adaptation,” and “make your stay uncomfortable.” The vocabulary generally communicates your meaning, and the camping example gives you opportunities to use topic-specific language. Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, though: “going to camping” is not idiomatic, “a lot to adapt” is unclear, and “mosquito repellemts” contains a spelling error. “Fumigated” may also be too specific for the point you are making about insects. These issues do not prevent understanding, but more natural collocations and careful spelling would improve precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “This is because” and the contrast in “I would have really loved to go … but unfortunately…”. Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely interfere with the message. Some grammatical patterns need more control: “I went camping … and we had a lot to adapt” does not form the intended construction, and “there are most likely to be insects” is awkwardly structured. The sentence about your parents’ plans also needs a full stop without the preceding space. Continue practising accurate clause construction and punctuation while retaining the variety of sentence forms you already attempt.

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