Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The younger sister of one of your friends is thinking about spending a year studying abroad as part of her university course. You did this recently, and she has asked you about your experience.

Write a letter to your friend's sister. In your letter

• tell her where you studied during your year abroad

• describe what you learnt about the country you studied in

• explain why your year abroad was helpful for your studies

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear........,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Rose,

How has you been? I hope you're doing well. I was delighted when Smith told me that you choose the same course which I completed. You don't know how happy I am to share my experience with you. Firstly, the accommodation I rented was in the downtown of Edmonton, Canada, the reason to live there was accessiblity to all resources from grocery to books for study purpose. However, it would be put strain on your pocket, I recommend it will be safe for you to stay there being a girl they'll provide you some more amenities, such as late night bus facility.

Canada is a diverse nation which taught me how to thrive in a fast pace environment and help me to posses strong interpersonal skills. By interacting with people of distinct nations in the colllege campus changed my perspective to see the world, how we were distinct from each other with distinct cultutre, roots and traditions, still functioning like an unit.

On the other hand, what I learned there it was not only about the academic knowledge, but also the hands-on experience I gained from there. As,in our home country this microbiology research course includes merely theoretical knowledge, whilst in Canada's university lecturers' primary emphasis on practical skills which help me to get a job easily with these skills.

I will be there for any further assistance, don't hesitate to ask anything about location, people, and course. I always there for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

With love,

Lily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains an appropriate, friendly tone. You identify Edmonton, Canada, describe learning about its diverse population and cultures, and explain how practical research experience supported your studies and employment prospects. These details make the response relevant and give the reader useful information. The explanation of what you learnt about the country is somewhat general, however: the comments about people from different backgrounds could be supported with a specific example. The advice about accommodation and safety is also additional rather than central to the request. To strengthen the response further, develop the learning and study benefits with one or two concrete details while keeping the focus on her questions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: it begins with a personal greeting, moves through accommodation and cultural learning, explains the academic benefit, and closes warmly. Paragraphing helps distinguish these topics, and linking expressions such as “Firstly” and “On the other hand” show an effort to guide the reader. Some connections are less smooth or precise, though. “On the other hand” suggests a contrast that is not clearly established, and the first paragraph combines location, cost, safety, and facilities in a crowded sequence. The reference to “there” is also repeated without always making the connection between ideas clear. Use transitions that express the actual relationship between points and separate related details into more focused sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a personal letter and attempt some less common expressions, including “diverse nation,” “interpersonal skills,” and “hands-on experience.” These choices help communicate the cultural and academic benefits of the year abroad, and the meaning is generally clear. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “in the downtown,” “accessiblity to all resources,” “thrive in a fast pace environment,” and “functioning like an unit.” There are also spelling errors, including “colllege” and “cultutre.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and fluency. Check common word partnerships and spelling, and prefer natural phrasing over ambitious expressions when unsure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “which” and “how,” and the overall message remains understandable. However, errors occur across verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “How has you been?” should be “How have you been?”, while “you choose” needs a past-tense form in this context. The sentence beginning “By interacting with people…” lacks a clear main clause, and “lecturers’ primary emphasis on practical skills” is missing a finite verb. There are also punctuation problems, such as “As,in” and the comma splice in “I always there for you.” Practise building complete clauses and checking subject–verb agreement and tense before adding complex structures.

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