Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-01

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 Alex,

I hope you are doing well. I’m writing to let you know that I have decided to sell my bicycle because I no longer use it. Since I recently started driving to work, I rarely have the opportunity to ride it.

The bicycle is in excellent condition. It is a blue mountain bike with a lightweight frame, comfortable seat, and strong tyres. I have always taken good care of it, and everything is working perfectly.

I thought you might be interested in buying it because I know you enjoy cycling and often go on bike rides at the weekend. I believe this bicycle would be perfect for you, especially for riding in the park or exploring new trails. I would also be happy to sell it to you at a reasonable price.

Please let me know if you are interested.

Best wishes,

AMAN

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the reason for selling, a description of the bicycle, and why the friend would like it. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, the response is 145 words, which is below the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length negatively impacts the task achievement score, as the development of ideas is slightly constrained by the brevity. To improve, you should expand on the description of the bike or provide more detail about your shared history of cycling to ensure you comfortably exceed the word count.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific bullet point, which makes the information easy to follow. You have used simple but effective cohesive devices such as 'because', 'since', and 'especially' to link ideas. The progression of information is logical, moving from the reason for selling to the bike's features and finally to the proposal. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal or semi-formal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is accurate and appropriate for the context of selling a bicycle. You used descriptive terms like 'excellent condition', 'lightweight frame', and 'reasonable price'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it is somewhat functional and lacks a wider range of less common or more sophisticated collocations that would elevate the score to a higher band. To improve, try to incorporate more varied adjectives or idiomatic expressions that would sound natural in a friendly letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

Your grammar is very strong, with a high level of accuracy throughout the text. You have successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Since I recently started driving to work, I rarely have the opportunity to ride it.' Punctuation is used correctly, and there are no significant errors that impede communication. The control over verb tenses is consistent. To reach a higher band, you could experiment with more complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, where appropriate.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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