Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-21

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 Tom,

I hope you're doing really good. It's been long time to catch you. I'm writing to share my perspective with you. I'm going to sell my bicycle.

Firstly, I'm planing to move into the city next week. As,I already took admission in college for my higher education, so the distance from my home to college is just two minute away.Consequetly, I beleive that carrying a cycle with me would be useless.

About my bicycle, as you already know that it is black in colour. Moreover, it is in a good condition, as I just bought two years ago.

Furthermore, I remember once I posted a picture on a instagram you were curious to know about it, You asked me about the price and features. luckily, now, I am selling it on half the price. If you are interested feel free to ask me anytime.

I'll see you soon.

Bestregards,

Tina

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that moving closer to college makes the bicycle unnecessary, identify it as black and in good condition, and connect your friend’s earlier interest to the offer. The reason for selling is clear, and the letter has an appropriate friendly purpose. However, the bicycle description is quite limited: adding details such as its type, size, features, or how it rides would help your friend judge the offer. The final point is also only partly developed; the Instagram memory and half-price offer suggest why Tom might want it, but you could explain more directly how it suits his needs or interests. These uneven levels of detail keep the response from fully developing every part of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: greeting and purpose, reason for selling, description, then the offer and closing. Paragraphing helps separate the main points, and connectors such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Furthermore” make the progression easy to follow. This is a coherent arrangement, with some flexibility in linking ideas. At times, however, the transitions feel mechanical, and the opening includes several sentences that do not add much to the message. The sentence beginning “Furthermore” also combines the Instagram memory, Tom’s questions, and the price offer in a crowded way. Use fewer formulaic connectors and make the relationship between ideas clearer—for example, separate the memory from the offer and link them naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main message, including relevant terms such as “higher education,” “good condition,” “features,” and “half the price.” The tone is generally friendly and suitable for a letter to a friend. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or inaccurate, including “share my perspective,” “took admission,” and “two minute away.” There are also spelling errors such as “planing,” “Consequetly,” and “beleive,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for natural everyday expressions that fit this informal context, and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary for the bicycle itself would also make the description more informative and show a broader range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “As” and a sentence explaining the distance to college. The main ideas remain understandable, and the letter’s basic sentence structure is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, however. For example, “I hope you're doing really good” uses the wrong form after “doing,” while “It's been long time” is missing an article. The construction “As, I already took admission … so” combines two ways of introducing a reason, and punctuation around “As” and “Consequetly” is faulty. There are also missing articles in “I just bought two years ago” and “on a instagram.” Review articles, clause structure, and punctuation, while continuing to practise varied sentence patterns.

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.