Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-21

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 Lucy,

I have just checked your tickets and realised that you will be arriving early morning on Monday. I am sorry that I will not be available to pick you up because I am starting work at 0730hrs. I have requested my neighbour to help you get in the house when you arrive. You just need to knock at her door and she will help you.

Your train is going to drop you at Victoria house. From the drop off point, follow the directions that leads you to the restaurant where there is an exit door. Once you get out of the restaurant there will be a number of taxis lined up outside. You need to book an ubber to take you to my address and please carry your money with you as they only accept cash.

I will be home around 1800hrs. I have booked a table at a fancy restaurant nearby for our dinner tonight. I hope you would have rested enough to go out for dinner.

I cannot wait to see you.

Kind regards,

Ruth

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three required points: your neighbour will help Lucy enter, you give a route from the station, and you state that you will be home at 18:00 and have arranged dinner. The friendly tone is appropriate for a relative. The access arrangement is understandable, but it would be more useful to explain exactly how Lucy can obtain the keys, rather than only saying to knock on the neighbour’s door. The directions are also difficult to follow because “Victoria house” and the restaurant exit are not clearly identified, and the taxi instruction is confusing. The evening plan is clear, though you could make it more personal by suggesting an alternative if Lucy is tired. These details keep some parts less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: arrival and access, travel directions, then your return and evening plans. Separate paragraphs help the reader locate each part of the message, and linking phrases such as “From the drop off point” and “Once you get out” guide the route. The letter also opens and closes appropriately. To make the progression more effective, clarify the connection between the station, the restaurant, and the taxis; at present, the reader may not know which exit or restaurant you mean. The access instructions could likewise be presented as a more explicit sequence. Overall, the organisation is easy to follow, although some references and transitions could be more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a personal letter, including practical expressions such as “pick you up,” “get in the house,” and “booked a table.” The tone is warm and generally suitable. Some choices are imprecise or informal for the intended meaning: “Victoria house” does not clearly identify a train station, “drop off point” is awkward in this context, and “ub ber” is misspelled and may confuse the reader. “Fancy restaurant” communicates the idea but is rather general. More precise transport and location vocabulary would make the directions easier to act on, while checking spelling and collocations would improve control. These issues do not prevent the main message from being understood.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a useful mix of simple and complex structures, such as “I am sorry that I will not be available to pick you up because…” and “I hope you would have rested enough to go out for dinner.” Most sentences are clear, and punctuation and paragraphing are generally controlled. A few grammatical choices need attention. In “the directions that leads,” the plural subject requires “lead.” The phrase “I hope you would have rested enough” uses an unsuitable conditional form; “I hope you will have had enough rest” would express the intended meaning more naturally. These are limited errors rather than obstacles to understanding. Continue using varied sentence patterns while checking subject–verb agreement and verb forms.

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