Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-04

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 Surabhi,

It has been a long time since we met, let's catchup when you are in town next.

I understand from Nikhil that you are looking for advice on how to go about studying the trading subject. I would have been even more happy if you would have reached out to me directly, next time onwards just give me a call whenever you need any advice. Regarding the subject, trading is 10 credit course, highest credit course for second year. People often consider it as a difficult course. On the contrary, I found the subject very interesting and easy, only condition is, you have to denote an hour everyday to revise what the teacher will teach in the class. It will open up a lot of job prospects for you, if you score well in this subject. It will involve understanding of mathematics and computers. Hence, if you can brush up these two subjects from your first year it will be beneficial for you.

Also, the university makes a whole lot of difference, especially if you planning to chose trading as a subject. I would recommend you to opt Upenn University as it has the best curriculum and the teachers are highly qualified. It has a fantastic library that makes students life easier.

It is important to note that the registration for the university opens in August. You will have to fill a form and pay a nominal registration fees. It will also ask you to submit statement of purpose (SOP) on why you want to join the university. Keep your physical evidence handy as you will require those at the time of registration. Finally basis your grades and the scores you have received on your SOP you will receive an admission offer.

Hope this is helpful. Let's go to our favorite restraunt next time you are here, they also serve your favourite drink.

Best wishes,

Sushant Barthwal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requested points and maintain a friendly, appropriate tone for a letter to a friend. The course details include its credit value, difficulty, subject content and the study routine you recommend; you also explain why you favour the university and outline registration steps. These ideas are generally extended with useful specifics, such as preparing in mathematics and computing and submitting a statement of purpose. Some advice is less fully explained: for example, “keep your physical evidence handy” does not clarify which documents are needed, and the university recommendation relies on broad claims about its curriculum and teachers. Clarifying these points and making the application guidance more precise would strengthen an already clear response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: it opens personally, discusses the course, moves to the university and application process, and closes warmly. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and links such as “On the contrary,” “Hence,” and “Finally” show how ideas relate. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and shows some flexibility in linking. However, a few transitions feel mechanical or abrupt, particularly the shift from course advice to the university recommendation, introduced by “Also.” The opening combines two independent thoughts with a comma, and the final application sentence compresses several steps. Use more natural transitions and make the sequence of application actions explicit to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “job prospects,” “curriculum,” “qualified,” “registration,” and “statement of purpose.” These choices communicate the main advice clearly, and the friendly expressions suit the audience. There are, however, some inaccurate or awkward word choices and collocations: “denote an hour” does not mean spend an hour, “trading subject” is unclear, and “physical evidence” is not the usual term for application documents. Spelling and form also need attention in “catchup,” “chose,” and “restraunt.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision. Prefer conventional academic and application terms, and proofread spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional advice (“if you score well”) and a relative clause (“which makes students life easier”). Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “I would have been even more happy if you would have reached out” has an awkward conditional construction; “especially if you planning” is missing an auxiliary; and “the registration fees” should be singular in this context. The opening also joins two independent clauses with a comma: “It has been a long time since we met, let's catchup…” These issues rarely impede communication, but they reduce accuracy. Review conditional forms, omitted verbs, articles and punctuation, then check each sentence for a complete grammatical structure.

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