Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-03

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)

Hello Adam,

I hope you enjoyed your stay at my apartment and I am looking forward to see you again. I happen to notice the Playstation seems to be broken it looks like it took a fall on the floor and has been cracked from the front and the side piece is missing aswell. The Playstation won't turn on and the service technician came by to check and told it cannot be repaired.

I already told you to be careful while playing with the Playstation. It was a limited edition that I got imported from Europe on a special order and it took months for it get delivered. Not mentioning the price on that was also pretty hefty. The production for this has been discontinued and it cannot be purchased again.

I would really appreciate you for paying me the original purchase price of the game because it was a brand new Playstation and the payment method I would prefer is cash or cheque.

Kind Regards,

Alex

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all the bullet points required by the task. You describe the broken PlayStation, explaining that it took a fall, has a cracked front and a missing side piece, and cannot be repaired. You also explain its importance by noting that it was a limited edition imported from Europe, took months to deliver, and has been discontinued. Finally, you state what you want Adam to do by asking for the original purchase price in cash or cheque. While all parts are addressed, some ideas show a slight tendency toward under-development, such as how the damage occurred or why it was left in a vulnerable position. To move towards a higher band, you could expand slightly on the personal significance of the item or provide a more natural, polite softening for the direct demand for payment.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear tone suitable for a personal correspondence with a friend. Information is logically grouped into paragraphs: an opening greeting and description of the damage, followed by the background and importance of the item, and concluding with the proposed solution for payment. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or relies on simple linking without a seamless flow between sentences. For example, the transition between the technical state of the PlayStation and the demand for care could be smoother. To achieve a higher level of cohesion, you could use a wider and more sophisticated variety of cohesive devices and referencing words to connect your thoughts naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully conveying your message about the broken item and the requested compensation. You attempt some less common vocabulary items, such as 'limited edition', 'imported', and 'discontinued', which demonstrate an acceptable range. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing. For instance, writing 'I happen to notice the Playstation seems to be broken' is slightly unnatural in context, and 'Not mentioning the price on that was also pretty hefty' contains informal phrasing ('Not mentioning') and an awkward collocation. To reach a higher standard, you should aim for more precise word choices and natural collocations while avoiding overly conversational or slightly misused expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures throughout the letter, such as 'I hope you enjoyed your stay at my apartment and I am looking forward to see you again.' There are several grammatical errors, including missing punctuation in run-on sentences ('I happen to notice the Playstation seems to be broken it looks like it took a fall...'), an incorrect infinitive form after 'looking forward to' (should be 'seeing'), and minor preposition or article slips such as 'it take a fall on the floor' and 'it get delivered'. These errors do not impede communication because your overall meaning remains clear to the reader, but they prevent you from achieving a higher mark. To improve, you need greater control over sentence boundaries, verb complements, and punctuation.

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

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