Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You are planning a business trip to another city. You will have some free time to do some sightseeing while you are there.
 

Write a letter to a friend who lives in the city you will visit. In your letter:
• explain the purpose of the trip.
• ask about things to do and see in the city.
• invite your friend to do something with you during your visit.

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 have an exciting news to share with you. I have an upcoming business trip booked in your city next month and I’m going to spend around week over there for business reasons.

Moreover, this trip is basically for my upcoming project which is really significant for me. Furthermore, from the meeting and conferences I might get some spare time for sightseeing and other activities. Hence, I would love if you could join me there during those days if your schedule allows.

Additionally, I have already plan some activities in advance that you would love to attend including riverside sightseeing and zoo visit along with exploring some near by beaches.

I would love if you also add some more adventure and activities if I missed some. Our favourite golf sport is already booked for us you will definitely going to enjoy that too.

I hope you would love to be there. See you soon.

Warm regards,

Ravi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining the purpose of the trip, asking for recommendations, and inviting your friend to join you. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and informal register throughout. The purpose is clearly stated as a business trip, and your invitation is well-integrated. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, you could provide more specific details about the nature of the business project or the specific types of sightseeing you are interested in to make the letter feel more authentic and engaging.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with a clear progression from the purpose of the trip to the invitation and suggestions. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'Hence'. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in their placement at the start of sentences. The paragraphing is generally appropriate, though the letter could benefit from a more distinct separation between the invitation and the request for recommendations to improve the flow. Overall, the message is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'spare time', 'sightseeing', and 'in advance'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'an exciting news' (news is uncountable) and 'near by' (should be one word: 'nearby'). Additionally, 'golf sport' is slightly unnatural; 'a round of golf' would be more idiomatic. While you successfully communicate your meaning, incorporating more precise or varied vocabulary would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'I have an upcoming business trip booked in your city... and I’m going to spend around week' (missing article 'a'), 'I have already plan' (should be 'planned'), and 'you will definitely going to enjoy' (incorrect verb form: 'you will definitely enjoy' or 'you are definitely going to enjoy'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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.