Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-07

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 friend, I am writing this letter to you about my valuable possession, which is a statue of a Buddha made of marble and stones that has a significant value in our family because it goes down from the past generation of our family, which my great-great-grandfather won at that time. He had won against a different country and got that Buddha statue as a reward, which even had a high value at that time. It was made with precious stones and marble with a great skilled craftsman at that time. So it had a strong high value in today's world also. I especially told you not to touch or put out from the glass, because we keep it very securely and have a strong attachment with it. I let you stay at my apartment because you needed it at that time, so for our friendship's sake, I told you to stay at my place for a while while I was away for a trip. But after I came back and saw some things were messy in my room, it was ok, but when I saw the Buddha statue got cracked from the right side and back, and it even pulled out from the mirror box where I put it to keep it safe, The problem is not about money. Our family treats it as a precious thing of our ancestors. and everyone has their own precious memories with it. It's like a proud and honorable moment and reward and worship with it. So I hope you know how valuable it is for me and my family. I just want you to take responsibility for it and search for a craftsman who can fix it, but it is hard to find a good craftsman for it, and it is even a time-consuming task. I had some important work to do this month. I will ask my cousin who will help you to find a craftsman to fix a statue. I will share with you my cousin's contact details. Please search for the craftman as soon as possible. I hope you will understand how precious the thing is to me and my family, and you will find a craftsman as soon as possible to fix it. Your friend

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points: you describe the marble-and-stone Buddha statue, explain its family history and emotional importance, and ask your friend to take responsibility by finding a craftsperson to repair it. The account of your great-great-grandfather winning it and its place in family memories gives the request a clear reason, while your statement that the issue is not money helps convey your priorities. The requested action is also specific, including involving your cousin. To make the response more fully developed, clarify exactly what you expect your friend to arrange or pay for, and avoid repeating that the statue is precious and should be repaired. A suitable greeting using your friend’s name and a clear sign-off would also make the letter feel complete and appropriately personal.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The ideas are relevant and can be followed in a broad sequence: the statue’s background, the damage you discovered, and your request for repair. However, the response is presented as one long paragraph, so these stages are not clearly separated. Many ideas are joined with repeated forms such as “which,” “so,” and “and,” and the repeated statements about the statue’s value make the progression feel circular rather than controlled. The shift from describing the damage to explaining your cousin’s role could be signposted more clearly. Use separate paragraphs for the background, the problem, and the requested action, and choose a small range of linking expressions to show cause, contrast, and next steps. This would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough vocabulary to explain the object and its significance, including “marble,” “precious stones,” “ancestors,” and “craftsman.” These choices help communicate the family history and the practical repair request. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, but some are unnatural or imprecise: “a strong high value,” “pulled out from the mirror box,” and “a proud and honorable moment and reward and worship with it” do not express the intended meaning clearly. “Craftman” is also misspelled, and “statue” and “precious” are repeated often. Aim for more natural collocations and precise descriptions, such as explaining that the statue is “of great sentimental value” and that it “fell out of its display case.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt complex sentences to explain the statue’s history and why it matters, and the main message remains understandable. However, many sentences are very long and contain several clauses joined without clear punctuation, which makes grammatical relationships difficult to track. For example, the opening sentence combines the description, family value, and inheritance history in one structure. There are also errors in verb forms and sentence construction, as in “I especially told you not to touch or put out from the glass” and “when I saw the Buddha statue got cracked.” Capitalisation after full stops is inconsistent, including “and everyone.” Use shorter sentences alongside complex ones, check that each clause has a clear subject and verb, and review past-tense forms when describing what you found on returning home.

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