Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-31

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 6.0)

Dear Chris,

I just got back from my trip, and I found that my PlayStation has some dents on it and isn't working properly.

I remember it working fine before I left, and all of a sudden it seems to be bugging. Firstly, it took way too long to turn on, and once it did, any game I tried to run would just take forever to load and would eventually switch off.

Well, I'm sure you know that I saved a lot of money to cop it for myself, and to suddenly see it in this state is extremely pissing off. There was no one at my place except you these last couple of days. Hence, it could only be you.

I want my PlayStation to work normally again, and for that I need you to come pick it up and deliver it to the nearest appliance repair store. Pay the required cost and deliver it back to me. This is the least you could do for breaking it and not telling me.

Cheers

Pranav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points: describing the item, explaining its importance, and stating the desired action. However, the tone is highly inappropriate for a letter to a friend. Phrases like 'it could only be you' and 'this is the least you could do' are accusatory and aggressive, which fails to maintain the expected social register for a letter to a friend. While the task requirements are met, the lack of appropriate tone significantly impacts the effectiveness of the communication.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each addressing a specific bullet point. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Well', and 'Hence' are used to connect ideas. However, the transition between the description of the problem and the accusation is somewhat abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the overall flow is hindered by the aggressive tone, which makes the progression of the letter feel confrontational rather than communicative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and relies on informal, colloquial, and occasionally inappropriate language. Terms like 'cop it', 'bugging', and 'pissing off' are too informal and aggressive for a standard IELTS task. While the student successfully conveys the meaning, the lexical range lacks the precision and appropriate register required for higher bands. There is a need for more neutral or polite vocabulary to express frustration without resorting to slang or hostile phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'it seems to be bugging' (which is non-standard usage) and 'any game I tried to run would just take forever'. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not impede overall understanding. However, the range of structures is somewhat limited, and the tone issues occasionally bleed into the grammatical choices, making the writing feel less controlled.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.