Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-20

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)

Hi Robin,

I hope you are doing well. I have taken Geo-technical Engineering course for my Masters at the Halifax university. Because I was more interested towards soil engineering Unlike Structural Engineering subjects this course is simple and easy to understand. Moreover, the course work is mostly lab work which involves filed investigations and pratical application of the theoretical knowledge we gained in our bachelors.

Additionally, this course has a huge demand in the civil engineering field. This course starts in early spring this years and it typically takes 2 years of time to complete the entire course work. This includes studying various projects, writing asssignments, doing project works, submitting theisis work aswell.

To to apply for this course you should check the Halifax course allocation website. I will farward you the link a month before the course work. As there are very limited number of seats for this course you should be very quick to apply at the earliest.

Thnak you,

Yours lovingly,

Steve Jobs

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The student gives details of the course taken by mentioning Geo-technical Engineering for a Masters at Halifax university, including coursework details like lab work, field investigations, and practical application. Recommendations for the university are provided through explanations of high demand in the civil engineering field and the simple, understandable nature of the subject compared to structural engineering. Finally, advice about how to apply is included by suggesting checking the university course allocation website and acting quickly due to limited seats. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the register is generally appropriate for writing to a friend, despite minor structural flaws. All parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, leading to a solid performance under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs that separate the different points required by the task, such as course details, recommendations, and application advice. The student attempts to use cohesive devices and transition words, such as 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'To apply', which helps guide the reader through the text. However, paragraphing and referencing are slightly uneven, and some sentences lack smooth transitions. For instance, the transition between discussing soil engineering and structural engineering is somewhat abrupt. While the overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, the mechanical use of cohesive devices places this response securely in the Band 6.0 to 6.5 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary relevant to engineering and academic studies, such as 'Geo-technical Engineering', 'lab work', 'field investigations', 'theoretical knowledge', and 'coursework'. However, there are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'filed' instead of 'field', 'pratical' instead of 'practical', 'theisis' instead of 'thesis', 'farward' instead of 'forward', and 'Thnak' instead of 'Thank'. Despite these errors, the intended meaning remains clear and communication is not impeded. The vocabulary is sufficient for the task, but the spelling inaccuracies prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'which involves field investigations and practical application of the theoretical knowledge we gained in our bachelors'). There are, however, several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the letter. Examples include missing articles or prepositions ('I have taken Geo-technical Engineering course' instead of 'a Geo-technical Engineering course'), punctuation errors ('To to apply'), and tense/time expression issues ('early spring this years'). Furthermore, run-on tendencies appear in sentences like 'This includes studying various projects, writing asssignments, doing project works, submitting theisis work aswell.' Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede overall understanding, allowing the student to achieve a Band 6.0.

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

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