Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29
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 Sarah,
I hope you are doing well.
I am writing this letter to give you some suggestions about the new spots learning that you asked me a couple of weeks ago.
Firstly, I think swimming is the best option for you. As it will help you learn a new lifesaving skill too, just in case someone needs help in the future. Furthermore, as far as I know, you also wanted a game which could help you with your weight control. For this reason, swimming is the best option.
Moving forward, a new swim club opened last month in our area. The location of this club is too close to our residence. Also, they have some promotional offers. That is why their prices are quite low in comparison with any other swimming center in our local area.
I was also thinking of joining this club. It would be great if we both learn this sport together. Since I'm also free during this summer break, I wanted to learn a new skill too.
I would appreciate it if you consider my suggestion, and I am eager to learn together. I hope you can make it happen.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Yours truly,
David
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| 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 mentioning the new local club, and clearly suggested learning it together. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, ensure that you fully expand on the 'how to learn' aspect; for example, you could have mentioned taking lessons or finding a coach at the club to provide more specific advice.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'Moving forward', and 'That is why' to connect your ideas. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the use of 'Moving forward' is a bit unusual in an informal email context. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'lifesaving skill', 'promotional offers', and 'residence'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'new spots learning' (should be 'learning a new sport') and 'too close to our residence' (which sounds a bit formal; 'near our home' would be more natural). You attempt to use a variety of words, but the range is somewhat limited. To improve, try to incorporate more natural collocations and idiomatic expressions suitable for an informal letter.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear, and the errors present do not impede communication. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'about the new spots learning that you asked me a couple of weeks ago' (which is slightly awkward) and 'if we both learn this sport together' (should be 'learned' for the conditional). You have good control over basic punctuation and sentence construction. To move to a higher band, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, with greater precision.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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