Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-14
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 6.0)
Dear Simran,
I am writing to inform you that I am unable to receive you from station as I will be busy at my office's meeting.
Last Sunday, I got your message that you are coming this week on 14th September for stay with me at my place. I will be very happy to see you there.Unfortunately, I won't be at home until the evening. I have an urgent meeting in office, so i will keep the house keys beneath the door mat. Moreover, I will send a taxi to receive you from the station, which is more convenient than public transport. l will also prepare some snacks and keep them in a refrigerator.
I will be home in the evening around 8 pm, I had already some good plans for us, which I will discuss later. I know after long time you will come and I am not availiable at home.Sorry for inconvenience,I hope you will be undersatnd.
See you soon.
Best Wishes,
Harman
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. Harman clearly explains the house key arrangement by stating they will leave the key beneath the doormat because of an urgent office meeting. The instructions for getting from the train station to the house are also addressed well by mentioning that a taxi will be arranged, which is described as more convenient than public transport. Furthermore, the arrival time is specified as around 8 pm that evening, and the writer suggests preparing some snacks and spending the evening together. The tone is appropriately informal and friendly throughout, matching the requirements of a General Training correspondence task. All parts of the task are adequately developed, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure typical of informal correspondence, beginning with a salutation and moving through the reasons for absence, practical arrangements, and evening plans. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different ideas, such as the reason for not being at the station versus the house arrangements. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or slightly faulty, noticeable in sentences like 'I will be home in the evening around 8 pm, I had already some good plans for us,' which results in a comma splice. Referencing is generally clear, but transitional phrases could be more varied and naturally linked to enhance the overall flow of the message.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an informal letter, successfully communicating everyday concepts such as 'urgent meeting,' 'snacks,' and 'public transport.' There are some attempts at less common phrasing, such as 'convenient than public transport.' However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies that prevent a higher band, such as 'availiable' (available), 'undersatnd' (understand), and awkward word choices like 'receive you from station' instead of 'meet you at the station.' Despite these slips, meaning is never obscured and communication is fully maintained.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
Harman demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional ideas appropriately. There are, however, several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('receive you from station' and 'in office'), a comma splice ('around 8 pm, I had already'), and tense inconsistencies ('after long time you will come and I am not availiable'). Punctuation is also occasionally weak with spacing errors around commas. While these errors are noticeable and require some minor effort from the reader to interpret, they do not impede overall communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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