Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 Abby,

I hope you doing great and you had a nice stay at my resident while I was away.

I am writing this email to inform about the broken dinning table glass. The dinning table was provided by the landlord, when i returned back I saw it broken.

The table was important for me as I do not have a study table so I use the dinning table to do my office work. It was one of the best piece in my entire house.

I just wanted to let you know that for this broken dinning table I have to pay my landlord around $400, it would be nice if you we divide the amount and pay it. It is hard to ask you to pay but as you know I just came from the trip and it is hard for me to pay the whole amount.

Regards,

Tishina

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: the broken item is described, its importance is explained, and a request for financial contribution is made. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, though the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of why the table is important is brief. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the personal significance of the item or provide more detail about the incident to make the letter feel more natural and fully developed. All parts of the prompt are addressed, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, with each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. There is a clear progression of ideas from the opening to the request for money. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition between the description of the table and the request for payment could be smoother. Using a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'given that') would improve the flow and help the reader follow your argument more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'valuable possession' and 'inform'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'nice stay at my resident' (should be 'residence') and 'best piece in my entire house' (should be 'best pieces'). Additionally, there is a spelling error with 'dinning' (should be 'dining'). To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary and ensure you are using the correct forms of words. The current range is sufficient to convey your message clearly, but it lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several grammatical errors, such as 'I hope you doing great' (should be 'I hope you are doing great') and 'when i returned back' (should be 'when I returned'). The use of articles and verb tenses needs more attention. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Increasing your control over basic sentence construction and proofreading for small errors like missing auxiliary verbs will help improve your score.

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

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