Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-15

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 Sara,

Hey! Hope you are doing well. The reason for this letter is that I am thinking to switch my job in my field, and I need your help with that.

Nowadays, I am working as a team leader. |As I have done my study in science stream, I would like to switch my profession now. Working as a team leader help me to stay financially stable but does not foster a depth of satisfaction, and this is the significant reason for my decision.

I am looking for a healthcare profession job as a technician or microbiologist. Additionally, I have 6 years of previous experience as a microbiologist, which aids me in actively pursuing this opportunity.

I need a favor from you because you are currently enrolled in the pharmaceutical industry. If you can give me your HR representative's contact information would be very helpful. I want to ask you one additional thing if can I use your name for reference purpose?

Thank you for the help, and let's plan to catch up.

your lovingly,

Dipti

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly explained your motivation for changing jobs, described your desired role as a microbiologist or technician, and made a specific request for your friend's assistance. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a personal and informal style throughout. The ideas are well-developed, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that all explanations are fully expanded; for instance, you could have elaborated slightly more on why you feel a lack of satisfaction in your current role to provide more depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your train of thought easily. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Additionally' and 'because', to link your ideas. However, the transition between the first and second paragraphs could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'this decision') is always precise to avoid any ambiguity in your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using field-specific terms like 'microbiologist' and 'pharmaceutical industry' correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'done my study' instead of 'completed my studies' and 'foster a depth of satisfaction' which sounds slightly unnatural. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and idiomatic expressions suitable for informal correspondence would help elevate your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'I am thinking to switch' should be 'I am thinking of switching', and 'Working as a team leader help me' should be 'helps me'. Additionally, 'if can I use your name' is a word order error and should be 'if I can use your name'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct verb patterns.

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

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