Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-08

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 Amir,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform you about an issue that I have discovered after returning from my trip. When I was trying to send an email to my office that time I discovered my laptop's screen was broken.

This laptop is very expensive and I do almost all official and personal work with the help of this laptop. This is the latest design Macbook and is gifted by my parents. I have discovered that laptop's screen is badly broken and is not working. Moreover some keys of the key board is also missing.

I understand accidents can happen so I am not angry with you. However, I would be appreciate it if you could have it repaired by some professionals or compensate with the damaging cost of laptop.

I hope we can solve this issue coperatively. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a considerate, clear position. You describe the damaged laptop screen and missing keys, explain its practical value for work and personal tasks, and add that it was a gift from your parents, which makes the loss more personal. Your request is also explicit: you ask Amir to arrange a professional repair or cover the damage cost. The reassurance that you are “not angry” helps establish an appropriate tone for writing to a friend. To make the ideas more fully developed, clarify what outcome you prefer and perhaps explain how you discovered the damage or what repair arrangement would be acceptable. The purpose is clear throughout, though some details remain general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: you introduce the problem, describe the laptop and its importance, then make a request and close the letter. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “However,” and “I hope” help signal how the ideas relate. The reader can follow the message without difficulty. To strengthen cohesion further, connect the discovery more smoothly to the description—for example, explain that you noticed the broken screen while trying to email your office, then describe the missing keys as additional damage. The transition from the laptop’s importance to the request could also be more explicit, so the proposed repair or compensation feels directly grounded in the reasons you have given.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the situation, including “valuable” ideas conveyed through “very expensive,” “official and personal work,” “professionals,” and “compensate.” These choices make the problem and your request understandable, and the tone is generally suitable for a personal letter. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “compensate with the damaging cost” is not natural, and “latest design Macbook” would be clearer as “latest-model MacBook.” There are also spelling or form issues in “key board,” “coperatively,” and “gifted by my parents.” Aim for precise, natural phrases such as “cover the repair costs” and “was a gift from my parents.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “When I was trying to send an email…” and the conditional request “if you could have it repaired.” Most of the message remains understandable, and the errors do not prevent the reader from following your meaning. Some grammatical problems are noticeable, though. For example, “I would be appreciate it” should be “I would appreciate it,” while “some keys … is also missing” needs plural agreement: “some keys … are also missing.” The opening discovery sentence also has an awkward time construction; “I discovered that my laptop screen was broken when I tried to email my office” is more controlled. Check articles and sentence punctuation as you revise.

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