Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-14

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 Harsh,

I hope you have enjoyed your stay at my house while me and my family were away enjoying our vacation in Italy.

However, I recently purchased a light lamp in the shape of Formula 1 car online. I noticed that the one of wheel of that lamp is missing, and I am not able to find out where it is. I am pretty sure that it was in perfect condition before my holiday.

The reason I bought this lamp is because my son's birthday is next week and he is a big fan of racing car. Whenever he watches races in formula 1, he always tell me to get that F1 car. So, as a father I promised him to get it on his next birthday.

Since you were the only person stayed at the location while we were away, I thought it might be damaged by you. I can replace that product online since I am still within my period, but you have to pay a small charges on it because of their condition.

Let me know when you are available and we can make a request online so they deliver this product on time.

Your Friend,

Prit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter covers all three required points: you identify the missing wheel on the Formula 1 lamp, explain its connection to your son’s birthday and his interest in racing, and ask your friend to contribute to replacing it. The personal context makes the request relevant, and the proposed next step—making an online request together—is clear. However, the importance of the lamp is explained more fully than the damage or the requested action: it is not entirely clear whether you want your friend to pay a specific amount, help with the replacement, or simply share the cost. The suggestion that your friend may have damaged it is also tentative. State the request directly and explain what you expect your friend to do; this would make the purpose more fully developed and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: a friendly opening, the problem, why the lamp matters, and a proposed solution. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, while transitions such as “However,” “The reason,” and “Since” guide the reader through the explanation. The final invitation to arrange the replacement follows logically from the request. Some connections are less smooth or precise, though. “Since you were the only person stayed at the location” makes the accusation feel abrupt, and “because of their condition” does not clearly refer to the lamp or explain the charge. Use clearer referencing and link the suspected damage to a tactful, explicit request. This would make the cohesion less mechanical and the progression more consistently easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation and its personal significance, including “in perfect condition,” “big fan,” “racing,” and “replace.” The Formula 1 details also make the letter specific rather than generic. However, several word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or awkward, such as “a light lamp,” “the one of wheel,” “a small charges,” and “within my period.” These expressions can make the reader pause to interpret the intended meaning. Aim for more natural phrases such as “a lamp shaped like a Formula 1 car,” “one of its wheels,” and “a small charge.” More precise wording for the replacement arrangement would also help you express the request clearly and show greater control of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, for example, “I noticed…” followed by a relative clause and the explanation beginning “Whenever he watches…”. Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. In “while me and my family were away,” the subject form should be “my family and I”; “he always tell me” needs subject–verb agreement; and “the only person stayed” requires a relative clause, such as “the only person who stayed.” There are also errors in articles and number, including “one of wheel” and “a small charges.” Review agreement, relative clauses, and singular/plural forms, then proofread longer sentences. More accurate control of these patterns would make the varied sentence structures easier to read.

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

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