Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-21

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 Basit,

I hope that you are doing well. I am writing in regards to your recent stay at my apartment while i was away on my trip. Firstly, i would like extend my courtesy to you for looking after my place in my absence. However it has come into my notice that glass rotary plate of my microwave oven has been broken.

You are very well aware of my dietary habits that include mostly frozen prepared foods requiring a great usage of microwave oven to defrost and get them ready. Now because of this damage, i am unable to heat my food and it has rendered my oven quite non-functional.

You do know that i have a very busy routine including my jobs and taking care of my aged parents. I keep juggling back and forth becasue of this, leaving me with very little-to-none time to get it fixed. I would be really happy if you can take care of that and take it off of my already very full plate.

Take care of yourself and update me at your earliest. Regards

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three required points: it identifies the microwave’s glass turntable as broken, explains that you rely on the appliance to prepare food, and asks Basit to arrange the repair. The request is understandable in “I would be really happy if you can take care of that,” and the explanation about work and caring for your parents gives it a personal context. However, the importance of the possession is developed mainly through its practical use; a clearer explanation of why this particular item matters to you, or a more specific request about repair or replacement and timing, would make the purpose more fully developed. The tone is generally courteous, though the opening could state the problem more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible sequence: greeting and context, description of the damage, its effect on your routine, and the requested action. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and links such as “However” and “Now because of this” make the relationship between the damage and its consequences clear. This gives the letter a coherent overall arrangement. Some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the long explanation of your schedule could be more tightly connected to the practical request. The closing, “Take care of yourself and update me at your earliest,” is understandable but does not quite complete the request as smoothly as a concise sign-off would. More natural linking and clearer reference to the repair would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the situation, including “in my absence,” “dietary habits,” “non-functional,” and the idiom “take it off of my already very full plate.” These choices help explain the inconvenience and give the letter a personal voice. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural collocations: “glass rotary plate” is not the usual term for a microwave part, “a great usage” is awkward, and “it has come into my notice” sounds overly formal for a letter to a friend. “Courtesy” is also not the most natural word for thanking someone for looking after the apartment. Choosing more conventional, precise expressions would improve fluency and control while retaining your range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, such as the sentence explaining your busy routine and the clause “leaving me with very little-to-none time.” Most ideas remain clear, but some grammatical errors are present. In “I would like extend my courtesy,” the infinitive marker “to” is missing; “while i was away” needs a capital “I”; and “if you can take care of that” would fit the polite request more naturally as “if you could take care of that.” The sentence beginning “You are very well aware” also has an awkward structure around “that include,” which could be revised to “You know that my diet consists mostly of…” Greater accuracy in these patterns and punctuation would lift the control.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.