Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-17

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 6.0)

Dear Fran,

I'm glad you asked me for advice about a new sport. Since, you don't like anything involves animals like horse back riding, I recommend to start learning swimming as a new sport. I think swimming could be a great sport to keep you active in this summer.

There is a newly built pool at Waite Campus and it is closer to your house. I heard their coach is also very good. I am also thinking of learning swimming too. So, we both could learn swimming together! Yey!

The reason to recommend swimming is mainly because you can do it alone and it is also a skill that you need when you're travelling as well. Another option could be badminton. But it is a sport that need atleast two players. So, I would strongly recommend to chose swimming.

I hope you find my suggestions helpful. Let me know what you think.

Best wishes,

Sumitha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requirements: you recommend swimming, explain that the Waite Campus pool is nearby and has a good coach, and invite your friend to learn with you. Your reasons—that swimming keeps Fran active and is useful while travelling—make the recommendation clear, and the email maintains a friendly, appropriate tone. The comparison with badminton adds context, although the point that it needs two players does not explain why swimming is more suitable for Fran, and the learning plan could be more specific, such as suggesting lessons or a first visit to the pool. These ideas are relevant, but some are less fully developed than others. To strengthen the response, explain how Fran can begin and connect the comparison more directly to her needs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The email has a clear overall arrangement: it opens by responding to Fran, gives the recommendation and practical details, explains the reasons, and closes with an invitation and sign-off. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and links such as “So” and “Another option” make the progression easy to follow. However, the connection between the pool and the later explanation of swimming’s advantages is somewhat abrupt, while “So, we both could learn swimming together!” repeats the invitation made just before it. The transition to badminton also interrupts the focus on the recommended sport. Use clearer links between the practical learning details and your reasons, and avoid repeating the same point to make cohesion smoother and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for a friendly email, and phrases such as “newly built pool,” “keep you active,” and “strongly recommend” communicate the main ideas. The tone is generally suitable, though “Yey!” is very informal and less appropriate than a more natural expression of enthusiasm. Some word combinations and forms are inaccurate or awkward, including “start learning swimming,” “a sport that need,” and “chose swimming”; these reduce the precision and naturalness of the language. “Horse back riding” is also conventionally written as “horseback riding,” and “atleast” should be two words. Build a more accurate range of collocations for sports and learning, and check spelling and word forms before sending the email.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex forms, including “Since you don’t like…” and “The reason to recommend swimming is mainly because…”. Most meaning remains clear, and the email is easy to understand. Some grammatical errors persist, however: “Since, you don’t like anything involves animals” needs a relative clause (“anything that involves animals”), and “I recommend to start learning” should be “I recommend starting” or “I recommend that you start.” There are also agreement and article problems in “a sport that need atleast two players,” and the comma after “Since” is unnecessary. To improve, practise verb patterns after “recommend,” relative clauses, and subject–verb agreement, then proofread punctuation and sentence structure.

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