Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-27

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 har,

Hi,I hope you are well.I am writing this letter to say that you can stay at my apartment last week while I'm on vacation.

When I came back from my trip, I found out that my laptop screen is broken, but it is still working. I want to make sure that it was done by you or it happened by accident.

That laptop is very important for me because my mother gave this laptop on my last birthday. All my office work is done with this laptop, like making presentations or other important things. I have a presentation in the next three weeks. That is my first presentation at work. So, I do not want to make a bad impression on myself

If you do not mind, can you help to repair the laptop. I will really appreciate you doing this.

If you have any kind of question the laptop, just let me know

Sincerely,

Bik

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the broken possession is clearly described as a laptop with a broken screen. Second, the importance of the item is well-explained through personal sentimental value (a gift from the mother) and practical necessity (upcoming crucial work presentation). Third, the desired action from the friend is stated, asking for help to repair the laptop. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend, though it strikes a slightly abrupt note at times. All parts of the task are adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end, maintaining an informal letter format with 'Dear har,' and 'Sincerely, Bik'. However, the paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with several very short paragraphs that break the flow of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimally used, and some transitions are slightly awkward, such as 'When I came back from my trip, I found out that my laptop screen is broken, but it is still working. I want to make sure that it was done by you or it happened by accident.' Despite these occasional mechanical transitions, the letter remains generally easy to follow, supporting a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to successfully communicate their situation. The writer attempts some less common phrasing, such as 'make a bad impression' and 'valuable possession', but mostly relies on simple, everyday words like 'important', 'working', and 'repair'. There are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as saying 'you can stay at my apartment last week while I'm on vacation' (tense inconsistency) and 'question the laptop' instead of 'questions about the laptop'. Overall, the vocabulary demonstrates a sufficient range for basic communicative tasks, aligning well with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing this letter to say that you can stay...' and 'If you do not mind, can you help to repair the laptop.' However, there are notable grammatical errors and tense inconsistencies throughout the text, notably 'you can stay at my apartment last week while I'm on vacation' (mixed past and present tenses) and 'gave this laptop on my last birthday' (missing preposition 'to'). Punctuation is also erratic in places, with missing spaces after commas and periods. These errors occasionally cause slight jolts for the reader, but they do not impede overall communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.

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

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