Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-25

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)

Hello Sarah,

Hope you're doing well. I'm writing to let you know that I'll be visiting your city next week for a three-day business conference and meetings. However, I will have some free time in the evening and on the final day of the trip.

Since you know the city, could you recommend some interesting places to visit, such as famous landmarks, street food, and other activities worth trying? Also, please suggest some good local markets for shopping. i would really appreciate your recommendations.

Furthermore, it would be great if you could spare some time for a meetup from your busy schedule while I'm there. Perhaps we could have dinner together or explore some of the city’s popular attractions. I’d really love to catch up and spend some quality time with you.

Let me know when you’re free, and hopefully we can spend some time together.

Best wishes,

love

Bhawna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate successfully addresses all bullet points of the task prompt in a clear and appropriate manner. The purpose of the trip is explicitly explained as a three-day business conference and meetings. The writer also effectively asks about things to do and see, specifically mentioning landmarks, street food, and local markets. Furthermore, the invitation to your friend to do something together during the visit is well-covered with suggestions for dinner and exploring attractions. The tone is consistently polite and friendly, fitting a letter to a friend. All parts of the prompt are fully covered and well-extended, easily meeting the criteria for Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving smoothly from the greeting and purpose of the trip to sightseeing requests, and finally to the invitation. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph dedicated to a distinct theme. Cohesive devices are used flexibly, such as transitions like 'However', 'Since you know the city', and 'Furthermore', which guide the reader naturally through the text without any mechanical errors or confusing referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, successfully using less common items such as 'three-day business conference', 'famous landmarks', and 'popular attractions'. There is an awareness of style and collocation suitable for informal letter writing. Spelling and word choice are accurate overall, although there is a minor capitalisation error ('i would really appreciate'). The vocabulary successfully conveys the intended meaning and meets the requirements for a Band 7 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer produces a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and dependent clauses (e.g., 'Since you know the city, could you recommend...', 'it would be great if you could spare some time...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, and good control of grammar and punctuation is demonstrated throughout, despite a minor capitalization slip with the pronoun 'i'. The structures used are varied and handled with a high degree of accuracy, fitting comfortably within the Band 7 criteria.

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.