Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-28

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 Key,

How have you been, I trust you got home safely from your last trip?. I just retuned yesterday evening to my apartment since the last time you visited, and to my greatest surprise to found out that my laptop screen has been broken. You will agree with me that the said gadget was in a good condition when I let you stay at my place.

This laptop is very important to me and my work as well. secondly you knew how long it took me to save up to buy this very brand of laptop because of it's processing speed.

As a friend it won't be cool to ask for a total replacement of my laptop rather I'm suggesting that you cover the cost of replacing the broken screen, so I can continue to work with it pending when I can afford to get a new one.

I really hope there is another way we can go about this but I hope as a friend you too understands my condition at the moment. I humbly look forward to your prompt response and possible resolution to my complain.

Thanks and God Bless.

Yours Sincerely,

Chuka.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described the broken laptop screen, explained its importance regarding your work and the effort taken to save for it, and clearly stated your request for the friend to cover the repair costs. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a balance between being firm about the damage and remaining polite. The purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning, and the ideas are well-developed throughout the response, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the initial greeting and context to the problem, the explanation of importance, and finally the proposed solution. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate these distinct ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'secondly' and 'as a friend', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, although the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall cohesion. Overall, the structure is clear and easy to follow, which is consistent with Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'valuable possession', 'processing speed', and 'prompt resolution'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'to my greatest surprise to found out' (should be 'to find out') and 'pending when I can afford' (should be 'until I can afford'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise word choice and better control over collocations to reach a higher band. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I just retuned' (spelling: returned), 'it's processing speed' (incorrect use of apostrophe for possessive 'its'), and 'you too understands' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, the sentence 'I just retuned yesterday evening to my apartment since the last time you visited' is slightly confusing in its construction. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and punctuation errors.

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

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