Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-09
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
You take the number 24 bus from Northfield to the city centre several times a week. Recently, you have found it difficult to plan your journeys because you cannot rely on the service. You decide to write to the bus company to explain your concerns and ask it to improve the service.
Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter
- explain why you use this bus service
- describe the problems you have experienced with it
- suggest what changes the company could make to improve the service
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Student answer (Band 6.0)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a bus service in the city. I take the bus number 23 from Northfield to the city centre three times in a week. I work near the City center and usually take the bus. I normally travel by public transportaion as it is a cheap option and easily avaiable.
Recenty, I faced several problems while traveling by the bus. I was working late light last week, Only then I found out that there is no bus service avaiable after 10 pm. Moreover, The last bus that supposed to come at 9:30 pm, It came late and was very crowed. It had no seats avaiable beacause of that I had to book a taxy.
However, I would suggest that the service should continues till midnight. As many of people are working late night, It would really helpful. In addition, There should be more buses for one route during busy hours.
I hope my suggestion will help you to take a better decision.
Your faithfully,
Manisha
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address all three points: you explain that you use the bus to reach work and because public transport is inexpensive, describe the late and crowded service, and request later buses and more frequent service at busy times. The specific example of having to take a taxi makes the impact clear. However, some details are not fully developed: the opening refers to service “in the city” rather than clearly identifying the number 24 service, and the account of the timetable is difficult to follow because you say there is no service after 10 pm but also that the last bus is due at 9:30. Clarifying the exact problem and explaining how it affects your regular journeys would make the request more complete and persuasive.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The letter has a clear overall arrangement: purpose, problems, suggested changes, and a closing. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and connectors such as “Moreover” and “In addition” show how details relate. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and also shows some flexibility in linking ideas. However, the progression within the problem paragraph is not fully clear: the relationship between there being no service after 10 pm and the 9:30 bus arriving late needs explanation. Some transitions, particularly “However” before the suggestions, do not express a clear contrast. Use more precise links and make each paragraph’s sequence of events explicit.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main concerns, including “bus service,” “crowded,” “busy hours,” and “public transport.” The reader can understand the central message, but spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the letter less polished: examples include “public transportaion,” “avaiable,” “crowed,” and “taxy.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “take a better decision” and “one route during busy hours.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, especially in a formal complaint. A slightly broader range of precise service-related terms, such as “frequency,” “timetable,” and “peak periods,” would help you express the problems and proposed improvements more clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple sentences and longer structures, including a reason clause in “as it is a cheap option” and a conditional-style explanation of the impact of the crowded bus. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “the service should continues” should use the base verb after “should,” and “It would really helpful” needs a form of “be.” The sentence beginning “The last bus that supposed to come…” also needs a relative clause structure, while “there should be more buses for one route” is not formed naturally. Check sentence boundaries and capitalisation as well as these patterns to improve accuracy.
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