Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-13

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)

Dear John,

I'm sorry, I won't be able to pick you up from train station, tomorrow morning. But I have made some alternative arrangements for you to reach my home.

Unfortunately, I got some urgent meeting's about a new product launch at my work and there is a problem with it, which needs to be solved on urgent basis. Because of this issue, I won't be available until evening, so I have asked one of my friend, Mike, to pick and drop you at my home as we planned.

I have provided all the details to him along with your contact details. He will contact you as soon as train arrives at the station. Additionally, he also has an additional pair of keys for my place, which he would provide you to access my house. I made some extra food for your lunch, so make yourself comfortable and relax until I reach home. I would bring some of your favorite food, Pizza and Wine, on my way back, we could enjoy our time over dinner.

I hope you would have a safe journey!

Regards,

Harry

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the key arrangements involving your friend Mike, provided instructions on how he will meet the relative, and specified your return time along with a suggestion for the evening. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that the instructions for getting from the station to the house are slightly more specific, as currently, you rely entirely on your friend to facilitate this rather than providing the directions yourself.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the apology, the explanation of the work situation, and the logistical arrangements. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Because of this issue', and 'Unfortunately' are used to link sentences and ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking phrases. Overall, the message is easy to follow, and the referencing (e.g., 'He will contact you') is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'alternative arrangements', 'urgent basis', and 'comfortable'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'urgent meeting's' (incorrect possessive) and 'pick and drop you' (which is slightly informal and imprecise). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. Expanding your use of collocations and ensuring accurate word forms would strengthen this area significantly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I won't be able to pick you up from train station' (missing article 'the'), 'one of my friend' (should be plural 'friends'), and 'urgent meeting's' (incorrect apostrophe). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some comma splices and unnecessary apostrophes. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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