Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-13

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 6.0)

Dear Ela,

How have you been?, It's been a while since we last spoke. I trust that you have been fine.

In respect to your letter requesting my advice and suggestions for program to do in the university, I will recommend you apply to the same university and program as mine. I studied Optometry at the University of Imo State, it's a 6years program leading to Doctor of Optometry (OD). The good thing is that at completion your program, you will become a Doctor, not only that you will have the skills set to set-up your own clinic and so be able earn a living without needing to search for job or work for anyone. Secondly the university of Imo State allows you to pay your tuition on instrumental basis which I believe will be the best option for you given that you will be catering for yourself as your daddy won't be able to support you at the moment.

I hope my suggestions meets you well and at the same time I'm glad am able to be of help at this time.

Yours Sincerely

Chuka

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing the course, recommending the university, and providing advice on how to apply. However, the advice on how to apply is quite thin; you mention paying tuition on an 'instrumental basis' (likely meaning 'installments'), but you do not provide specific steps or advice on the application process itself, such as entrance requirements or documentation. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, though the structure could be improved by separating the advice on the application process into its own paragraph to ensure all parts of the task are fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from a friendly opening to the specific details requested. You use some cohesive devices like 'In respect to', 'The good thing is', and 'Secondly'. However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped; the entire body of the letter is contained in one large paragraph, which makes it harder to follow. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly improve the flow. Additionally, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'In respect to your letter requesting my advice', which sounds more like a formal business letter than a friendly email.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'Optometry', 'tuition', and 'skills set'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'program to do in the university' is unnatural; 'program to study at university' would be better. 'Instrumental basis' is likely a misuse of 'installment basis'. Additionally, 'search for job' should be 'search for a job'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary and better awareness of common collocations to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Punctuation is often incorrect, such as the comma splice in 'How have you been?, It's been a while' and the unnecessary comma after 'been?'. There are also issues with articles ('the university of Imo State' should be 'the University of Imo State') and subject-verb agreement ('my suggestions meets you well' should be 'meet'). While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for small errors would be beneficial.

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

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