Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-30

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 Jan,

I hope you're doing well. I am writing regarding my intention to sell my bicycle. I read your post on Facebook asking about the advantages of buying a bicycle and that you are considering buying one.

In fact, I just have bought my first car, although I was really enjoy cycling, However, I just got promoted and be moved to the main office of my company. it is kind of faraway so I can not cycle everyday with my bike.so I bought the car for commuting.

My bicycle is a blue large bicycle, its Size is 22. which is suitable for everyday commuting, nearby shopping trips and also you can go camping with it. moreover, its tires are very strong, As I choose it to participate in cycling competitions in the first place, Unfortunately, I did not had enough free time to do that.

I know that you are thinking about getting a bicycle instead of using public transport everyday going to your college or commuting to your part-time job, Thus, I believe this bicycle would be very effective to you. If you are looking for a convenient and affordable sort of transportation.

I hope to hearing from you soon.

Your friend

Diana

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter successfully covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. Diana explains why she is no longer using the bicycle by stating she got promoted, moved to the main office, and had to buy a car for commuting. She describes the bicycle as a 'blue large bicycle, its Size is 22' with very strong tires originally meant for competitions. Furthermore, she explains why her friend would like to have it, noting that Jan is considering buying a bike instead of using public transport for college and part-time work. The tone is appropriately friendly and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. The response satisfies all task requirements effectively, deserving a solid band score in this category.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphs are used to separate different points, such as the reason for selling in the second paragraph and the description of the bike in the third paragraph. Cohesive devices are generally used adequately, with phrases like 'In fact', 'moreover', and 'Thus'. However, there are some mechanical or faulty uses of cohesion and punctuation, such as run-on sentences and incorrect lowercase starts after full stops (e.g., 'everyday with my bike.so I bought'). Referencing is mostly clear, but the paragraphing and transition management could be smoother to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Diana uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts. She attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'commuting', 'convenient', and 'affordable'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and spelling errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'I just have bought' instead of 'I have just bought', and 'sort of transportation' instead of 'form of transportation'. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a limited precision that places this response at the band 6 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure through conditional and subordinate clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. Examples include tense errors ('I just have bought', 'I did not had'), missing subjects or incorrect capitalization/punctuation ('it is kind of faraway so I can not cycle everyday with my bike.so I bought'), and fragmented sentences ('If you are looking for a convenient and affordable sort of transportation.'). These errors require the reader to occasionally puzzle out the meaning, though communication is generally maintained.

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.