Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-20

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 Mom,

It's been a long time since we have seen each other, I hope you are doing well! I want to wish you best luck for your train journey from Brampton to Burlington.

Once you reach my apartment just look at the box of amazon near to the door, in which you will find one small box with lock you have to put this digit "1256" to open the lock, and in that box you will find the main door's key.

Sorry, I will be at office that day, but I have booked you a taxi from the burlington station to my apartment, so when you reach the station look for the yellow taxi no.56xyz near the exit gate of the main terminal no.6. The taxi will bring you to my place as you are new to the place I don't want you to travel in the bus.

If possible, I will try my best to reach home early, but even I'll get late, it wna't be late than 5p.m. I am planning for a dinner at home that evening, I am thinking to prepare some vegetarian dishes for you since you don't eat meat. plus, I already finished all shopping and I also baked some cookies, and cakes specially for you.

let me know what you think on this as soon as possible.

see you soon.

Best regards,

Margee

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: the key is in a lockbox with the code, a taxi is arranged from the station, and you explain that you expect to be home by 5 p.m. and plan a vegetarian dinner with homemade treats. These details make the letter useful and personal, and the friendly tone suits a message to your mother. The travel directions are especially specific, although the taxi identification and terminal details could be made clearer or checked so she can reliably find it. The evening plan is relevant and supported, but you could also suggest a shared activity after dinner, as the task asks what you could do together. Overall, the main purpose is fulfilled with ideas extended by practical details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible order: greeting, key arrangements, travel from the station, and your plans for the evening. Separate paragraphs help the reader locate each part, and links such as “but,” “so,” and “since” show relationships between ideas. This gives the letter a coherent overall arrangement. Some connections are less smooth, however: the long taxi sentence combines the booking, directions, and reason for avoiding the bus, while “plus” begins a new sentence in a way that feels informal and abrupt. The final request and sign-off are clear, but more controlled sentence breaks and a few varied transitions would make the progression more natural and less dependent on simple linking words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the arrangements, including “lock,” “main terminal,” “vegetarian dishes,” and “specially for you.” The personal tone is appropriate, and the reader can understand the practical details. However, several choices and combinations are noticeably unnatural or imprecise, such as “wish you best luck,” “box of amazon,” and “booked you a taxi.” “Look for the yellow taxi no.56xyz” is also awkwardly phrased, and “reach home” would be more natural as “get home.” These issues show that the range is adequate for the task but that collocation and precise phrasing need more control. Aim to learn common word partnerships and use standard forms for directions and travel arrangements.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “since,” “but,” and “as,” and most of the message remains easy to follow. Some grammatical and punctuation errors persist. For example, “It's been a long time since we have seen each other, I hope…” joins two complete clauses with only a comma; “Once you reach my apartment just look…” needs punctuation after the opening clause; and “even I'll get late” has an incorrect verb construction. The sentence beginning “If possible” also shifts awkwardly between “I will try” and “even I'll.” Capitalisation and apostrophe use are inconsistent. Breaking up long sentences and checking clause boundaries, verb forms, and punctuation would improve accuracy while preserving your range.

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

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