Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have a bicycle that you are no longer using. You would like to sell it to a friend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• explain why you are no longer using your bicycle.
• describe your bicycle.
• explain why you think your friend would like to have it.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Jaspreet,

I hope you are doing well;

It is been a long time since we last met. As we talked about a bicycle in our last letter, I am ready to sell it now. Since you are also looking for a bicyle to enjoy in summers, I thought to ask you first. I used to use this cycle to go to my work but now my office is shifted from Richmond to surrey. It is far from my house and i bought a car last month . I do not need it anymore.

Well, this bicycle is blue in colour, that is your favourite and I bought it last year from Hero shop located in Richmond. It has a cute little front basket to keep some personal belongings. It runs smooth and do not need any repair.

You always want to have a cycle for summers since you love cycling. It is been a while you are looking for it on market place and you have not find a perfect one yet such as affordable and good in condition. I strongly believe that you should consider this option. My husband asked from an expert for it is price and It is for $100 but i can give you only for $80.

Let me know if you want to buy it.

Thank you.

Regards,

Kul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three required points clearly and develops them with relevant detail. You explain that the move from Richmond to Surrey and buying a car mean you no longer need the bicycle; you describe its blue colour, front basket, condition and purchase; and you connect the offer to Jaspreet’s interest in cycling and search for an affordable bike. The specific $100 valuation and $80 offer make the proposal convincing and personal. The friendly opening and closing also suit a letter to a friend. To make the response even more complete, you could add a practical detail such as when Jaspreet could inspect or collect the bicycle, but the main purpose and supporting ideas are already well established.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear, useful progression: you introduce the offer, explain why you no longer need the bicycle, describe it, and then explain why it may suit your friend. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and links such as “Since,” “Well,” and “Let me know” guide the reader through the letter. The references to Jaspreet’s earlier interest also help connect the reason for offering the bike with the personal context. Some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the final paragraph combines the friend’s needs, the expert’s valuation and the price negotiation in a dense sequence. Separating the price details or linking them more smoothly would make the progression feel more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the offer and describe the bicycle, with useful task-specific expressions such as “front basket,” “personal belongings,” “affordable,” and “good in condition.” The friendly tone is generally appropriate. However, several spelling, word-choice and collocation errors make the language less natural, including “bicyle,” “enjoy in summers,” “runs smooth,” and “looking for it on market place.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “cycle” and “bicycle.” Aim for more accurate everyday collocations and check spelling; for example, “ride it in the summer,” “runs smoothly,” and “searching for one online” would sound more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes a mix of simple sentences and longer clauses, and the meaning remains clear overall. You use time references to explain the change in circumstances and connect ideas with clauses such as “Since you are also looking…” However, errors occur across verb forms, agreement, articles, capitalisation and punctuation. Examples include “It is been a long time,” “I used to use this cycle,” “It runs smooth and do not need,” and “you have not find.” The semicolon after the greeting and inconsistent capitalisation of “i” and “It” also affect accuracy. Review present perfect forms, subject–verb agreement and sentence punctuation, then proofread each sentence for a complete and consistent grammatical structure.

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