Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A friend of yours is thinking about applying for the same course that you did at university. He/She has asked for your advice about studying this subject. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• give details of the course you took at the university
• explain why you recommend the university
• give some advice about how to apply

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Alex,

I hope you are doing well. I was pleased to hear that you are planning to apply for the same course that I did and would be happy to advice regarding any questions that you may have about the subject.

I pursued Master's degree in chemistry from Nottingham Trent University in 2025 including 1-year industrial placement. I would recommend this degree because it will not just give you an opportunity to do academic study but also one-year professional placement where you can gain valuable practical experience which will help you to attract future opportunities.

There are plenty of ways to apply for this program but I would personally recommend to apply online due to its reliability and comfortability. Additionally, do not forget to apply for scholarships.

I hope to meet you soon and tell you more about my experience when I was in the university.

Best wishes,

Ashu Berwal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: it provides details of the chemistry course, explains why the university is recommended, and offers advice on the application process. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the advice on how to apply is limited to suggesting an online application and mentioning scholarships. To reach a higher band, you could expand on the 'why'—perhaps by mentioning specific facilities, the quality of teaching, or the city life—to make the recommendation more persuasive and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the course details to the recommendation and finally to the application advice. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally' and 'because', which help the flow. However, the transitions between sentences could be more varied to improve the overall cohesion. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the letter follows a standard structure for informal correspondence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'industrial placement', 'academic study', and 'reliability'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'comfortability' (which is not standard; 'convenience' would be better) and 'advice' used as a verb instead of the noun 'advise'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Expanding your use of collocations would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'I pursued Master's degree' (missing an article: 'a Master's degree') and 'when I was in the university' (usually 'at university'). The sentence 'would be happy to advice' is incorrect; it should be 'would be happy to advise'. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and verb-noun distinctions.

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

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