Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-24

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 Manpreet

I am hoping that you are having a great time these days. I have been thinking lately on the suggestion you asked for related to my advice on the sport activity you should learn. After a thoughtful consideration of your physical and mental capabilities, i happened to conclude that you can go for swimming.

I would like to share the background of my this suggestion to you. I recalled those incidents when we visited water park the last year with college friends and had a bet on holding the breath for certain duration. You won the bet by holding your breath for the longest amongst the entire group, consequently making it a suitable sport for you. Swimming, necessarily requires a strong control on your body movements under water while holding the breath and above all, you did not perform the action under pressure but enjoyed the task that revealed your love for staying closer to water.

Although, i am afraid of deep water, however, i would still like to learn swimming with you because i have always seen myself surfing in the oceans in my dreams. We have a Sports complex in our locality and they do offer membership to students at an affordable price, therefore, we can start our swimming lessons during mid-term vacations. I would like to fulfil my dream with you.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You recommended swimming, provided a logical explanation for how your friend could learn (joining the local sports complex), and clearly suggested learning together. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, maintaining a friendly and personal style throughout. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the anecdote about the water park, which adds a personal touch and justifies your recommendation effectively. The response is fully relevant to the task instructions and maintains a consistent focus from start to finish.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'consequently,' 'although,' and 'therefore' to link your ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the use of 'my this suggestion' is a bit awkward. However, the progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is used effectively to separate the recommendation, the justification, and the plan for the future. The referencing is generally clear, making the text easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, such as 'thoughtful consideration,' 'capabilities,' and 'affordable price.' You are able to convey your meaning clearly and effectively. There are a few minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'my this suggestion' (should be 'this suggestion of mine') and 'the last year' (should be 'last year'). However, these errors do not impede communication. You show an ability to use less common vocabulary, which is appropriate for this task, though further refinement in natural collocations would elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional-like structure in the final paragraph. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'I am hoping that you are having' (the present continuous is less natural here than 'I hope you are having') and the misuse of 'i' (which should always be capitalized). Additionally, the sentence 'Although, i am afraid of deep water, however, i would still...' contains redundant conjunctions. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the errors do not cause difficulty for the reader.

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

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