Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-13

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have decided to look for a new job.

Write a letter to a friend. In your letter
• explain why you are looking for a new job.
• describe the kind of job you would like to have.
• ask your friend to help you find a job

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear John,

How's life treating you, my friend? I hope you're doing well and staying positive! I am writing this letter to let you know my current job situation, hoping that you can give me some advice. I've decided to leave my current job.

First of all, my current boss is always yelling at me for no reason while I am trying to focus on my task. Therefore, it is hard to do anything useful while he is present. Moreover, my salary is much lower if you compare it with the other people of same experience. Hence, i am struggling to pay my bills.

At the moment I am looking for a new job which offers a higher wage. Also, it would be great if the job will be close to my home. I know you have so much experience in this field so, give me advice on this.

I am looking hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You explained the reasons for leaving your current job (hostile environment and low salary), described your ideal job (higher wage and proximity to home), and requested assistance from your friend. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a personal and informal style throughout. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, fulfilling the requirements of the prompt well. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the specific industry or role you are targeting to further develop your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' to link your points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body of the letter, and the conclusion. While the flow is generally smooth, some of the transitions are a bit mechanical. To improve, you could experiment with a wider variety of linking words or use referencing more naturally to connect sentences, which would help the text feel more cohesive and less like a list of points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. Phrases like 'current job situation', 'staying positive', and 'struggling to pay my bills' are natural and appropriate. However, the vocabulary is somewhat limited and relies on fairly common expressions. There are minor issues with word choice, such as 'the other people of same experience', which could be phrased more naturally as 'others with similar experience'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise or sophisticated collocations related to the workplace and job hunting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'if you compare it with the other people of same experience' (missing article) and 'I am looking hearing from you' (should be 'I am looking forward to hearing from you'). Additionally, there is a minor punctuation error with the lowercase 'i' in 'Hence, i am'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the text from reaching a higher band.

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

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