Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-23

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 Harry,

How are you my dear friend? I know it's been an eternity since we last met, I apologise from bottom of my heart for not being in touch lately! Life is going quite busier after we graduated. I remember from our last hangout, you were asking me about any suggetions for trying out a new sports, I found a suitable activity that might interest you, which is swimming.

First of all, I know how excited you are about visiting beach, on our visit to sauble beach, you were the one who was most eager to run into water as soon as we reached. Based on your interest I think swimming would make a better choise compared to other choises. Moreover, it is a life skill which is considered good to have. I am familiar with swimming that I learned in childhood but never got a chance to practice recently. We can join beginners adults classes at our community centre, I will revise my abilities and you would also have a company to stay motivated.

Let me know what are your thoughts on these suggestion whenever you get chance!

Best regards,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly recommend swimming, explain how to learn it by joining adult beginner classes at a community centre, and propose learning together. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed for a General Training Task 1. To reach a higher band, ensure that all parts of the prompt are given equal weight; for instance, the explanation of how to learn could be slightly more detailed regarding the logistics or benefits of the chosen method.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized with a clear opening, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'Based on your interest' to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is slightly disjointed, and the transition between the introduction and the body could be smoother. Some referencing is a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences occasionally feels slightly abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall cohesion of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'eternity', 'eager', and 'motivated'. However, there are several spelling errors ('suggetions', 'choise', 'choises') and minor collocation issues, such as 'Life is going quite busier' (should be 'has become much busier') and 'visiting beach' (should be 'visiting the beach'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on accurate spelling and more natural collocations will significantly improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I apologise from bottom of my heart' (missing article 'the'), 'I am familiar with swimming that I learned in childhood' (awkward phrasing), and 'whenever you get chance' (missing article 'a'). While you attempt complex structures, they are not always error-free. To improve, pay closer attention to article usage (a/the) and prepositional phrases. The majority of your sentences are understandable, but more consistent control over basic grammar is needed for a higher score.

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.