Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-01
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 Aunt,
I am very excited on hearing that you are visiting me this Monday. Sadly, I have an urgent piece of work same day and will reach home in the evening. My friend Jason will come to pick you up from the railway station as I don't want you take taxi and carry heavy luggage by your own. Additionally, I also handed him the keys of the house so you don't have to worry about that too.
Jason is my best friend. You can ask him anything. I will reach home by 7:00pm till then you can have some rest.I know you love Italian food so I already booked a table at your favourite Italian restaurant. Moreover, we have the pumpkin festival going on this week in downtown. So, after having food we will visit the pumpkin festival. At the end, a scoop of vanilla ice cream will end the beautiful night. I will see you soon.
Yours lovingly,
Sam
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by explaining the arrangements for the keys, providing directions from the station via Jason, and suggesting evening activities. However, the development of certain ideas remains slightly limited. For example, the directions given rely entirely on Jason picking your aunt up rather than detailing how to get from the train station to your house independently, which reflects an approach where some bullet points are covered more fully than others. The tone is appropriate for a family member, and the purpose of the letter is clearly communicated throughout, successfully satisfying the core requirements of this task type.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, moving smoothly from the arrival arrangements and key handover in the first paragraph to the evening plans in the second. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and referencing words like 'Jason is my best friend. You can ask him anything' are used effectively to connect ideas, even though paragraphing and transitions occasionally feel slightly straightforward. Overall, the arrangement of information allows the reader to follow the sequence of events easily without confusion.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating a sufficient range to communicate everyday concepts clearly. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'urgent piece of work' and 'pumpkin festival', with general success. However, there are some minor word-choice and collocation errors that prevent a higher band, such as 'excited on hearing' (instead of 'excited to hear') and 'don't want you take taxi' (missing the preposition 'to'). These minor lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication, and spelling throughout the response remains accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
The response features a workable mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of conditional clauses and subordinate clauses like 'as I don't want you take taxi'. Good control of punctuation is generally maintained, and there are several error-free sentences. However, a few grammatical errors persist, notably missing articles ('take a taxi', 'book a table') and preposition errors like 'same day' instead of 'on the same day'. These errors occur alongside some slightly awkward phrasing, but they are infrequent enough that they rarely impede communication and fit the profile well.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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