Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Rohit,

Hello, how're you? I'm excited to meet you after such a long time. How about you?

Unfortunately, I'm not able to pick you up from the airport this time because of the work commitments. My boss arranged an important meeting on the same day when you're coming. It unexpectedly added in my schedule, I'm not able to postpone it.

I'd suggest you to book a cab to reach at my destination, even though it'd be a bit expensive, it's the easiest way to arrive at home without any confusion. If you want to choose inexpensive mode of transportation, bus is the perfect option that you can catch bus number 34 from outside the airport and it stops in front of my home. I'll send you my address.

I've planned some awesome stuff to do when you get here. On the first day, we'll go to eat out at my favourite restaurants. I also bought 2 tickets of live concert of our favourite singer Daljit, that we'll attend on the following day. I really apologies for inconvenience.

I can't wait to see you soon.

Love,

Soni.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the informal letter prompt well. The writer successfully greets the friend, explains the inability to pick them up due to work commitments, suggests alternative transportation options (a cab and a bus), and outlines upcoming plans together. The tone is appropriately friendly and semi-formal, fulfilling the requirements of General Training Task 1. Ideas are clearly presented and extended nicely, such as providing specific details about the bus number 34 and the concert tickets for Daljit. The purpose of the letter is fully achieved, and the message is clear to the reader throughout. Therefore, this performance aligns closely with Band 7 descriptors for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression from the opening greeting to the final sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph dedicated to a distinct topic: greeting, the airport pickup issue, transport suggestions, and future plans. Cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'even though', and 'If you want to choose' are used with general flexibility to connect ideas. Although referencing and linking are mostly smooth, there is occasional slight awkwardness in transitions, such as 'It unexpectedly added in my schedule, I'm not able to postpone it', which keeps it just below Band 8. Overall, the arrangement is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using everyday phrases suitable for an informal letter. Expressions like 'work commitments', 'inexpensive mode of transportation', and 'awesome stuff' show an attempt to vary language. However, there are some minor lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as 'because of the work commitments' (unnecessary article) and 'reach at my destination' (incorrect preposition usage, as 'reach' does not take 'at'). Additionally, 'I really apologies for inconvenience' contains a grammatical/lexical error ('apologies' instead of 'apologize' and missing article). Despite these occasional slips, the vocabulary is clear and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over conditional structures ('If you want to choose inexpensive mode of transportation, bus is the perfect option...') and subordinate clauses ('even though it'd be a bit expensive'). However, several grammatical errors occur throughout the text, including comma splices and missing articles, such as 'It unexpectedly added in my schedule, I'm not able to postpone it' and 'catch bus number 34'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the writer from achieving a Band 7, as Band 7 requires frequent error-free sentences with good control of complex structures.

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

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