Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-10
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
Your English-speaking friend who lives in your town has asked for your advice about learning a new sport. Write an email to your friend. In your email:
- recommend a new sport that would be suitable for your friend to learn
- explain how your friend could learn this sport
- suggest that you both learn this sport together
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ....................................,
Student answer (Band 6.5)
Dear Michael,
After our previous conversation, I researched about a sport that would could learn together. The sport I researched about is swimming which could be a suitable sport for you to learn as there are plenty of instructors available nearby.
I shortlisted some reliable instructors and the institutes where they teach. I will be sharing the list with you in a separate email. You can reach out to those institues and gather all the details which are relevant to you. Once you feel you have found the reliable coach, let me know and we can learn this sport together.
After you finalise, I would suggest you to watch some videos to learn some basics of swimming as it will help you grasp the instructions from the coach better when we start learning it. These videos will help you learn the techniques required to be a good swimmer.
I am excited for this adventure and hopefully this sport will improve our physical fitness as well.
See you soon!
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You recommended swimming, explained how to learn it by suggesting instructors and online videos, and proposed learning it together. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the email is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific details about the sport or the learning process to further develop your ideas, as some parts, such as the mention of 'institutes', feel slightly generic. Overall, the task requirements are fully met.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The email is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the request, which helps the reader follow your train of thought. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Once you feel' and 'After you finalise', to link your sentences. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different stages of your advice, contributing to the overall coherence of the letter.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. You use words like 'shortlisted', 'reliable', and 'techniques' correctly. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'researched about' (the verb 'research' is transitive and does not require 'about') and 'institues' (spelling error). To improve, try to incorporate more varied and precise vocabulary to describe your suggestions. While your current vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Once you feel you have found the reliable coach, let me know and we can learn this sport together.' There are a few grammatical slips, such as 'would could learn' (a redundant modal verb) and 'I would suggest you to watch' (the verb 'suggest' is followed by a gerund or a 'that' clause, not an infinitive). Despite these occasional errors, your meaning is always clear, and the errors do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures would help elevate your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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