Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-21

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 Daman,

I hope you're doing great! I'm writing this letter in response to give you some advice on the course that I'd recently completed from Lovely professional University Jalandhar. I'd completed 2 year Diploma of cosmetology there and I've learned several professional skills such as hair cutting and styling, skin care and facials, along with professional and business skills.

I really want to recommended this University to you as I know you have a passion for becoming a professional makeup artist and I think this university will be a great opportunity for you to persue your studies. This is because this University not only offers you the theoretical knowledge of makeup skills but it also give you a chance to gain hands on experience. In addition to this, University authorities also run beauty peagents where you can show your skills in front of top 5 Makeup artist of India that will provide you a sense of satisfaction and career growth.

If you want to apply for this University program then you can search online on their webside where you can find an application form for demo classes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The candidate successfully covers all bullet points required by the prompt in a friendly and appropriate letter format. The letter begins correctly with 'Dear Daman,' and addresses all three main areas. First, it gives clear details of the course taken, stating '2 year Diploma of cosmetology' and mentioning skills like 'hair cutting and styling'. Second, it explains the recommendation of the university, highlighting the balance of 'theoretical knowledge' and 'hands on experience', alongside beauty pageants. Third, it provides advice on how to apply by mentioning that the friend can 'search online on their webside where you can find an application form'. The tone is consistently informal and suited to writing to a friend. All parts of the task are well-addressed with relevant details, earning a solid band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is generally clear and easy to follow, with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction and course details from the recommendations and application advice. Cohesive devices are employed adequately, using connectors such as 'along with', 'This is because', and 'In addition to this' to link clauses and sentences smoothly. However, paragraphing is somewhat compressed; the entire body of the letter is grouped into two large paragraphs rather than being broken down into smaller, distinct thematic chunks, which slightly limits the flow. Overall, the message progresses logically from the course background to recommendations and finally to application steps, ensuring coherent communication throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary suitable for a general task. Words and phrases like 'professional skills', 'theoretical knowledge', 'hands on experience', and 'career growth' are used effectively. However, there are a few lexical and spelling errors that prevent a higher score, such as 'webside' instead of 'website', 'peagents' instead of 'pageants', and 'persue' instead of 'pursue'. Furthermore, there is occasional awkwardness in phrasing, such as 'in response to give you some advice'. Despite these slips, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the message clearly, and the candidate successfully attempts some less common topic-specific terminology related to cosmetology and beauty.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples of complex structures include relative clauses and causal links, such as 'I know you have a passion for becoming a professional makeup artist and I think this university will be a great opportunity for you to persue your studies.' However, there are notable grammatical and mechanical errors throughout the text. These include tense inconsistencies (e.g., 'course that I'd recently completed' instead of 'recently completed' or 'have recently completed') and punctuation issues like missing commas before conjunctions in compound sentences. Preposition and article usage could also be more precise in places. While these errors do not impede communication, their frequency keeps the grammar score in the mid-range.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.