Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-14

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 Razi,

It's been two days you haven't showed up at the gym so I hope you are doing well mate or maybe you are just lazy bum as always. Anyhow i have an important issue to discuss with you. I believe you remember the blue bicycle with black and grey handles with a tiger bell attached to it and a tiger tattoo on the seat. It is parked in our porch since past 6 months after my father bought be a brand new mototrbike. i have not used my bicycle since then so i was thinking about selling it.

I know you always liked my bicycle and wanted to have one exactly the same. Infact i think even though i have not been using it from couple of months,still you used to borrow it from me on every other weekened so when i decided to sell it obviously you were the first person that came across my mind. You know how important this bicycle is to me and how close it is to my heart since it was a last gift that my sister gave me before she died, i would never have decided to sell it if it weren't for you. Razi you are really a good friend of mine and i trust you with my belongings with closed eyes I know you will take care of this bicycle.

I know you will not take it as a gift because you are man of honor so i am here selling it to you. the price that i have decided is 10,000 PKR but it;s totally upto you how you pay me. I know your financial concidtions so it's fine if you pay up in installments

Take care buddy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three required points: you explain that you stopped cycling after your father bought you a motorbike, describe the bicycle’s colours and distinctive tiger details, and explain that your friend has admired and borrowed it. The personal story about your sister’s gift also makes the offer feel sincere and gives your friend a reason to value it. However, the description could be more useful to a potential buyer: you do not mention its condition, age, or practical features. The reason your friend would like it is clear, but the price and payment arrangement arrive abruptly. Develop these details and make the offer itself more explicit to address every part with more even depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The message has a clear overall progression: a friendly opening leads into the bicycle’s background and description, then your friend’s interest, and finally the price and payment. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and links such as “Anyhow” and “so” make the relationships between ideas understandable. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in connecting ideas. At times, however, the long second paragraph combines several points—the friend’s past interest, the emotional value of the bicycle, and your trust—without clear breaks. Some transitions, such as “I know” repeated across sentences, feel mechanical. Use shorter, more focused paragraphs and vary references and linking phrases to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of vocabulary suited to an informal letter, including “brand new,” “borrow,” “a gift,” and “installments.” The specific details about the bicycle also help the reader picture it. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “mototrbike,” “weekened,” “concidtions,” and “closed eyes” where “with my eyes closed” is the natural expression. Some informal phrases, such as “lazy bum,” may sound overly blunt, while “tiger tattoo on the seat” is an unusual description if you mean a printed design. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and choose friendly but considerate wording. This would make your vocabulary more controlled without losing the personal tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple statements and longer complex sentences, for example the sentence explaining that you would not sell the bicycle if it were not for your friend. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in verb forms, articles, prepositions, and sentence boundaries. Examples include “It's been two days you haven't showed up” (more naturally, “It’s been two days since you showed up”), “since past 6 months,” and “it was a last gift.” Several sentences run together, particularly in the second paragraph, and punctuation is missing before “I know you will take care of this bicycle.” Review tense patterns, article use, and comma/full-stop placement, then divide long sentences so your varied structures remain clear.

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

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