Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening.

• explain arrangements you have made for them to have keys and get into the house

• tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house

• say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Hi Rohan,

I'm so glad you took the decision to visit me this Christmas. Well, I'll be in office until 6pm stuck with some work appointments. As per our conservation earlier, you'll be arriving by 11am on TTC arriving just opposite to my building.

The keys are hidden inside the unit number plate. Just try moving your hand around, you'll be able to find one! Light switches is exactly on the right hand corner once you enter. Plenty of space to put your shoes and flip flops on rack, thought you might need it!

Remember my building is right across the street from VMC. So your train will stop at last station VMC, once you take escalator from ground floor to second you'll see three huge buildings. Mine is 5 buttermill, It's easy to track on google maps, if not just ask any one around you, everyone is so friendly here :)

There's some food and sticky notes with instructions to operate microwave and oven. I know it's your first timer all alone. Hope to see you soon!

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You explained the key arrangements, provided clear directions from the train station, and mentioned your arrival time. However, the final bullet point regarding what you could do together that evening is missing. While you mentioned food and instructions for the microwave, you did not suggest an activity to do together, which is a requirement of the task. To reach a higher band, ensure every instruction in the prompt is explicitly covered. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member, maintaining a friendly and helpful register throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the visit. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the arrival details to the house access and finally to the house instructions. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'once you enter' and 'if not', to link ideas. However, the transition between the arrival time and the key location is slightly abrupt. The use of paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure helps the reader follow your instructions easily. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the flow further.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'appointments', 'escalator', and 'instructions'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'took the decision' (should be 'made the decision') and 'conservation' (likely meant 'conversation'). The phrase 'first timer all alone' is slightly awkward and informal. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding direct translations from your first language will help improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I'll be in office' (missing 'the'), 'Light switches is' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'first timer all alone' (missing a preposition or clearer structure). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some minor slips. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the use of articles, as these frequent small errors prevent the writing from reaching a higher band.

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

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