Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-16

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 6.0)

Dear Raman,

It's been ages since we last caught up, and I've been thinking about you lately. I want to send a quick note about a bicycle sale that I would like to sell you, due to limited use of it nowadays.

The main reason for its reduced use is my car, which I bought last month. As I have been traveling by bicycle for the last year, I now find a car more convenient and it takes a short time to reach the office.

Moreover, you know I bought the latest model of the Sirrus bicycle, which is not only a hybrid bike but also convenient for merging at speed on busy roads with other vehicles comfortably. This is in black, with lightweight, sturdy aluminum tubing. In addition, it designed in such a way so driver can

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter adopts an appropriate informal tone suitable for writing to a friend, starting with 'Dear Raman,' and including friendly opening pleasantries. All three bullet points from the prompt are touched upon: you explain why you are no longer using the bicycle by mentioning the purchase of a car, describe the bicycle as a hybrid Sirrus model in black with aluminum tubing, and attempt to explain why your friend would like it. However, the response is cut off abruptly mid-sentence ('In addition, it designed in such a way so driver can...'), which prevents the full development of the final bullet point. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met; the official length check confirms the response contains 138 words, falling 12 words short of the 150-word minimum. This negative impact on task completion pulls the band score down to a 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter maintains a clear overall arrangement and follows a logical sequence from the opening greeting to the explanation of the bicycle's reduced usage and its physical description. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'In addition' are used to link ideas, although some connections feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is attempted, but the incomplete ending disrupts the natural flow and cohesion of the concluding thoughts. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of a proper closing sign-off further impacts the structural integrity of the letter. Overall, the organizational control reflects a Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms such as 'reduced use,' 'convenient,' 'hybrid bike,' and 'lightweight, sturdy aluminum tubing.' There are some awkward phrasings, such as 'a bicycle sale that I would like to sell you,' which is unnatural collocation and repetitive. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice errors occasionally surface. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning and attempts some less common items like 'sturdy' and 'hybrid,' placing the lexical resource comfortably at a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'As I have been traveling by bicycle for the last year, I now find a car more convenient...' While this complex structure demonstrates a good attempt at varied grammar, there are noticeable grammatical errors. For instance, the passive voice construction 'it designed in such a way' lacks the auxiliary verb 'is,' resulting in an incomplete fragment at the end of the text. Other minor prepositional slips also occur. Communication is not seriously impeded by these errors, leading to a Band 6 score.

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