Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-16

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 Tom,

Thankyou for staying at home in my absence and have been taking care of my pets. I really appreciate that you have been cleaned my house beautifully in the past few days.

Last friday, when i reached home after my vacation,the flower pot was broken and looks like that someone fixed for temporary. If we see closely, then the difference can find easily. Before leaving for my vacation, I had filled water in it and there was no crack at that time However, this morning the water started leaking inside the pot.

This decorative imported pot was not just the product for me, it was the gift given by Grandmother on my 21st birthday party. After few days of my celebration, My grandparents passed away and i have had this pot for the last 8years.

I am not blaming you and it might be fallen from my hand. However, my concern is only if you can help me to find a flower shop in the town so that it can be fixed as soon as possible. As you are aware of my part time job, it will hard for me to bear all money . It will be great if we both can share the expense which will be used to fix this.

You can call me anytime and send me a message.

Love,

Rishika

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. You clearly describe the broken possession as a decorative imported flower pot that is leaking water and appears to have been temporarily fixed. You explain its sentimental value effectively by mentioning that it was a gift from your grandmother on your 21st birthday and that you have kept it for the last eight years following the passing of your grandparents. Furthermore, you state what you would like your friend to do by asking for help finding a flower shop and suggesting sharing the expenses to fix it. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, balancing the serious nature of the broken item with a friendly, non-blaming approach. All parts of the task are well addressed and adequately developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised into distinct paragraphs that serve clear functions: opening pleasantries, describing the incident, explaining the item's importance, proposing a solution, and closing. Cohesive devices are generally used appropriately, such as 'Before leaving', 'However', and 'As you are aware'. However, paragraphing could be slightly refined, and referencing is occasionally a bit mechanical or repetitive ('this pot', 'my vacation'). Paragraphing is sufficient, and the progression of ideas is clear throughout, allowing the reader to follow the narrative effortlessly. The relationship between sentences is clear, supporting an overall coherent structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The lexical resource is adequate and generally appropriate for a semi-formal letter. You use some less common vocabulary items such as 'decorative imported pot', 'sentimental', and 'part time job'. There are some lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'have been taking care' instead of 'taking care', 'product' instead of 'item' or 'object', and 'bear all money' instead of 'cover all the costs'. Spelling is mostly accurate, though there are punctuation and capitalization issues with proper nouns and pronouns (e.g., 'friday', 'i', 'Grandmother'). Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional structures ('If we see closely, then the difference can find easily') and relative clauses. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing instances, such as 'have been cleaned' instead of 'cleaned', 'looks like that someone fixed for temporary' instead of 'looks like someone tried to fix it temporarily', and 'it will hard for me' missing 'be'. Punctuation errors are also present, such as missing commas after introductory phrases and lower-case 'i'. While the majority of sentences communicate meaning successfully, the frequency of grammatical slips prevents the score from reaching a higher band level.

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

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