Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-23

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 Maninder,

I hope you are doing well. I would like to tell you about something unfortunate when you stay at my apartment while i was away on a trip.

I returned home yesterday. I discovered my laptop screen was broken. It was lying on the table, and there were many crackes on the screen. I was surprised and upset to saw it in that condition.

As you know, it was extremely important for me because i used it for my ielts preparation and used for my online ielts classes. I have saved my study material and test. It is not affordable for me to buy it again.

I understand that this may happened accidently. Howevder, i would like you to tell me how it got damaged so that i can repair it and help me in repair costs. Please let me know if you noticed anything unusal while staying at apartment.

I know you understand my problem. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Kinds,

Noor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points: you identify the broken laptop screen, explain that the laptop holds study materials and is used for IELTS preparation and classes, and ask your friend to explain what happened and contribute to repair costs. The purpose is clear and the tone is generally appropriate for writing to a friend. The explanation of the laptop’s importance is relevant, though “I have saved my study material and test” could be developed more clearly by specifying what would be difficult to replace. The request is also understandable, but could be more direct and precise about the action you expect, such as asking your friend to discuss sharing the repair bill. These details would make the ideas more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: you open with the reason for writing, describe what you found, explain why the laptop matters, and then make a request. Separate paragraphs help the reader follow these stages, and phrases such as “As you know” and “However” connect ideas. The closing is also suitable for a personal letter. Some links are less smooth because the opening sentence refers to the stay in a confusing way, and the request combines several points in one sentence: “tell me how it got damaged … and help me in repair costs.” Separating the questions and request would improve progression. Overall, the organisation is clear, with some room to make connections more flexible and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “unfortunate,” “extremely important,” “study material,” and “repair costs.” The language is generally appropriate for a personal letter, but the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce naturalness. For example, “crackes” and “unusal” are misspelled, while “help me in repair costs” is not a natural way to express the request. “It is not affordable for me to buy it again” is understandable but imprecise, since it is unclear whether “it” means the laptop or the saved materials. Aim for more accurate phrases such as “contribute towards the repair costs” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes simple sentences and some attempts to connect ideas, for example, “I understand that this may happened accidently. However, I would like you to tell me…” However, errors in verb forms and sentence construction are frequent enough to limit accuracy. Examples include “when you stay” instead of “when you stayed,” “upset to saw” instead of “upset to see,” and “this may happened” instead of “this may have happened.” The opening sentence also lacks a clear grammatical connection between the unfortunate event and the friend’s stay. Capitalisation of “I” is inconsistent. Practise past-tense forms and modal constructions, and proofread each sentence for a complete, natural structure.

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