Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-20

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 Mahi,

I am fine and hope you are sailing in the same boat of happiness. I am writing this letter to explain to you the arrangements for you to have keys and get into the house while I will be off from home for my work tomorrow morning and will catch you in the evening.

You can get access to the keys by entering the code 928 in the mailbox number 402 down the apartment building. My friend Robin will pick you up from the tram station tomorrow and will drop you off at the apartment. He has your contact number, therefore he will call you.

I will be making your favorite food early in the morning before leaving for my shift at my workplace. Once you reach home, make sure you eat the food in the refrigerator and get some rest, as I am planning a dinner at a famous restaurant in the evening.

See you soon,

Bhawna

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 access method, provided instructions for the relative's arrival via your friend, and outlined your evening plans. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands the logistics of their stay. To reach a higher band, ensure that the connection between the arrival time and the evening plans is more explicitly linked to the specific constraints mentioned in the prompt, such as the morning arrival versus your evening return.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the key arrangements to the transport logistics and finally to the evening plans. You have used some cohesive devices, such as 'therefore' and 'once you reach home', to link your ideas. However, the transition between the first and second paragraphs could be smoother. To improve, ensure that the logical flow between sentences is more varied, as some of the current linking is slightly mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'sailing in the same boat of happiness' are a bit idiomatic and perhaps slightly unnatural in this specific context, but they show an attempt to use varied language. You use functional vocabulary well, such as 'arrangements', 'apartment building', and 'refrigerator'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding slightly awkward phrasing. For instance, 'off from home' is not standard usage; 'away from home' would be more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I am writing this letter to explain to you the arrangements for you to have keys', which is slightly clunky, and 'down the apartment building', which should be 'at the apartment building'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on preposition usage and sentence construction to ensure your complex sentences are error-free.

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

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