Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21

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 Rose,

I am writing this letter to give my advice on the subject, which is botany, and I studied at the University of Toronto. This course is related to the plants, and you will get information regarding the various species of trees and flowers. This subject helps you to get a job in the forestry department. Personally, I think you will enjoy this course.

I recommend the University of Toronto because it is one of the most prominent universities among Canada, which provides you with the great faculty, ambience and the practical opportunities. Many forestry officers studied from this university.

You can apply for this course both in person and online but I recommend you to apply your application by the online portal, which is much easier process and you will get a result of this application within a week. Moreover, there is no stress of Paperwork as you will get updates via email.

I hope you will consider my advice.

Thank you

Lily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: it describes the botany course, explains why the University of Toronto is recommended, and provides clear advice on the application process. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and helpful persona throughout. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, though they could be further extended to reach a higher band. For instance, providing a specific example of a 'practical opportunity' or a 'forestry officer' success story would have added more depth to the response. Overall, the task is fully covered with a consistent tone.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on one of the required points. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'because', and 'both... and' are used effectively to link sentences and ideas. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is slightly abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is somewhat standard rather than sophisticated. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the letter follows a standard, clear structure that guides the reader through the information provided.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their message clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'among Canada' (should be 'in Canada') and 'studied from this university' (should be 'studied at'). While the range is sufficient to discuss the topic, it lacks the variety and precision of less common lexical items that would characterize a higher band. The word choice is generally accurate, but there is room for more sophisticated collocations and a wider range of descriptive language to enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'the great faculty' (the 'the' is unnecessary here) and 'easier process' (should be 'an easier process'). Additionally, 'result of this application' is slightly awkward; 'outcome' or 'decision' would be more natural. Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the punctuation is generally correct. The control of grammar is sufficient for communication, though more variety in complex sentence structures and greater attention to articles and prepositions would improve the score.

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

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