Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-18

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 Sarah,

I'm thrilled you're coming to visit! Since I'm working late, here are the arrangements for your arrival on Friday.

I've a spare set of keys with my neighbour, Mrs. Gable, at house number 42. Just pop over, and she will give you the keys and the alarm code.

To get here from the station, take the number 14 bus towards Elm Park from the main exit. Get off at Oak Avenue, right opposite the pharmacy, and my house is a two-minute walk down the lane to your right.

I will be home by 6:30 PM. Once I arrive, we can relax and head out for dinner at a wonderful italian trattoria nearby, followed by a casual stroll along the riverfront.

Let me know if your train is delayed. See you soon!

Warm regards,

Afroza.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt: explaining the key arrangements, providing directions from the station, and suggesting evening plans. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member. However, the response is 136 words long, which falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length significantly impacts the task achievement score, as the ideas are not fully developed to the extent required for a complete response. To improve, you should expand on the details, perhaps by adding more descriptive information about the house or the evening plans to ensure you comfortably meet the word count.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph addressing a specific requirement of the task. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from arrival logistics to directions and finally to evening plans. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Since', 'To get here', and 'Once I arrive' effectively to link your sentences. The paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between the logistical details and the social plans feels slightly more fluid.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for this informal task, such as 'thrilled', 'arrangements', 'trattoria', and 'stroll'. The word choice is generally accurate and natural. There is a minor error with 'italian' (which should be capitalized as 'Italian'). While the vocabulary is sufficient for the task, it lacks the 'less common' or more sophisticated items that would push the score into the higher bands. Incorporating more precise adjectives or idiomatic expressions would enhance your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

Your grammar is generally strong, with a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use modal verbs correctly ('can relax', 'will be home') and maintain consistent tense usage. Punctuation is mostly accurate, though there are minor opportunities for improvement in sentence variety. The majority of your sentences are error-free, which is a positive sign. To improve, try to incorporate more complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, to demonstrate a wider range of control.

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

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