Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You let a friend stay at your apartment while you were away on a trip. When you returned home, you discovered that a valuable possession was broken.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• describe the broken possession.
• explain why it is important to you.
• explain what you would like your friend to do.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Chandler,

I hope you are doing well,

Remember, you crashed on my couch a few days ago while I was away on a trip to India. When I returned home, I noticed that my flower vase on the dining table had been cracked and I am pretty sure that it was not broken when I left, as it is my daily routine is to wipe it and fill up water.

The vase is very important to me as it was the last thing my father had bought me. One day, we were on a trip to Toronto and I really liked the vase and my dad, without thinking twice, he bought it for me. Sadly,, he passed away a year later, hence the importance of it.

I understand the sentiment of having the vase is long gone but I would really appreciate if you could get it repaired from a local vase shop.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Yours truly,

Joey

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: describing the broken vase, explaining its sentimental value, and requesting a solution. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a balance between being firm about the damage and remaining polite. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the backstory regarding the trip to Toronto and the father's passing, which provides a clear justification for why the item is important. The response is fully relevant to the task prompt.

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 task, and the transition between the description of the event and the emotional significance of the vase is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'as it was', 'hence', and 'I understand' are used effectively to link sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The flow of information is natural and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good descriptive phrases like 'sentimental value' and 'without thinking twice'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or slightly informal choices, such as 'crashed on my couch' (which is acceptable for a friend but informal) and 'vase shop' (which is a bit simplistic). The use of 'sentiment' in the phrase 'I understand the sentiment of having the vase is long gone' is slightly unnatural; 'the fact that the vase is broken' would be more precise. Overall, the range is sufficient to convey the message clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are a few grammatical slips, such as 'it is my daily routine is to wipe it' (double verb) and 'my dad, without thinking twice, he bought it' (redundant subject). Punctuation errors, such as the double comma in 'Sadly,,', are also present. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of the sentences are error-free, and the meaning is never obscured. The control of tense is generally good, effectively shifting between past events and current feelings.

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

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