Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-20

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

It is ten years since you left college. You'd like to organise an event to celebrate this anniversary with all your friends and classmates from college.

Write a letter to one of your college friends. In your letter

• say what kind of celebration event you'd like to organise

• explain why you think it would be good to celebrate in this way

• describe what help you need to organise this event

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Henry,

I cannot believe that a decade has already passed since our last day at the college! How fast the time has flown, is really astonishing.

To celebrate this anniversary, I was thinking if we all should visit the college together by bus. Wouldn't that be amazing, just like our old days, going to the college together? While on our way we can discuss a lot of things and get to know what everybody been up to these days. Also, I checked from the school management that all our teachers are still teaching in the college. We can bring gifts for our teachers as a symbol of thanking them. To me, the whole idea stands a chance of giving another thought.

Kindly let me know what you think about this idea and, if aligned, we can initiate the arrangements from our side. I will surely be needing your help in contacting all our classmates to convey the plan and align on the date to visit the college.

Looking forward to your response and cannot wait to meet everybody on our college anniversary.

Thanks,

Hayyan Tahir

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three points: you propose visiting the college together, explain the appeal of travelling and reminiscing as a group, and ask Henry to contact classmates and help agree on a date. The personal tone and clear invitation suit the purpose. The explanation is relevant, but some ideas are not fully developed: for example, you mention bringing gifts for teachers without explaining how this fits into the event, and “the whole idea stands a chance of giving another thought” leaves your view unclear. To strengthen the response, make the celebration plan more definite and explain more specifically why revisiting the college would be meaningful for everyone. The main task is covered, but the development is uneven rather than consistently detailed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear overall progression: it opens with a reflection on the time passed, presents the proposed celebration and its benefits, then asks for help and closes warmly. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Also” and “While on our way” help connect related points. The request to Henry is easy to identify. Some connections are less smooth, however: “To me, the whole idea stands a chance of giving another thought” interrupts the explanation and makes the relationship between the preceding details and your opinion difficult to follow. The transition from the event idea to the practical arrangements could also be more explicit. Overall, organisation is clear, though a few links and references could be made more natural and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a friendly letter, including expressions such as “a decade,” “symbol of thanking them,” and “initiate the arrangements.” The vocabulary generally communicates the plan and the personal tone effectively. There are some inaccurate or unnatural choices, particularly “stands a chance of giving another thought,” “if aligned,” and “align on the date”; these do not prevent understanding, but they make parts of the letter sound less idiomatic. “School management” is also less suitable when referring to the college. Aim for natural collocations and straightforward phrasing rather than formal expressions that do not quite fit the context. More precise wording would make your ideas clearer and show better control of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, such as the question “Wouldn't that be amazing…?” and the sentence beginning “While on our way…”. Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. In “How fast the time has flown, is really astonishing,” the comma separates the subject from its verb, and the opening clause needs a clearer structure. “I was thinking if we all should visit” uses an incorrect construction; “I was wondering if we should all visit” would be more accurate. In “get to know what everybody been up to,” the auxiliary “has” is missing. Review clause structure and auxiliary verbs, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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

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