Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-30

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 Naina

It has been long time since we last met.

I am writing to inform you that i will not be at home the morning you are arriving Vancouver as I have to attend a special work event which is from 8 am till 6 pm.

I will left a pair of keys of my home just under the doormat at enterance and you can have a rest until i come back.

So, once you arrive Vacouver, you need to take skytrain from waterfront skytrain station to Surrey Central. After, you get off there, you can take 323 bus and make sure to exit when you arrive 128 street 99 avenue. I am sure you have my house number which is 12882 and you can clearly see it from far away.

I will be at home around 7 O'clock in the evening. We will go out for dinner after having some coffee and little chat at home.

Hope to see you soon

Lots of love

Kamal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly explained the key arrangement, provided specific directions from the station to your home, and outlined your evening plans. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a family member. To reach a higher band, ensure that all details are fully developed; for instance, while the directions are clear, adding a brief mention of how long the journey takes or a landmark near the bus stop would further enhance the clarity and depth of the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the arrival logistics to the evening plans. Paragraphing is used to separate the different topics, which helps the reader follow the information easily. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. Phrases like 'After, you get off there' are a bit clunky. Using more varied linking words or transition phrases, such as 'Once you have disembarked' or 'Furthermore', would improve the flow and make the connections between sentences feel more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use relevant terms like 'skytrain', 'doormat', and 'arrangements'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I will left' (should be 'I will leave') and 'at enterance' (should be 'at the entrance'). To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary, such as 'conveniently located' or 'straightforward directions', rather than relying on simpler descriptive phrases. The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'It has been long time' (missing article 'a'), 'the morning you are arriving Vancouver' (missing preposition 'in'), and 'I will left' (incorrect verb tense). Punctuation is generally functional, though some sentences could be improved with better comma usage. To achieve a higher score, focus on eliminating these basic errors and increasing the variety of complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences more accurately.

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

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