Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Anna,

I have received your letter and I am writing to tell you about my experience about studying abroad.

Actually I spent one at the higher intitute of applied studies in humanities of Rome which is located in the capital of Italy. the university is the city centre and about 500 meters far from the famous amphitheatre of Rome.

I would like to mention also what I have learnt about Italy. I realy had a deep understanding not only of italian culture and its traditional festivals but also about the history of its famous dishes like pasta and pizza.

Finally, this experience was exteremly beneficial for me because I have developed lots of skills during the period I have been there such as time management and problem-solving.Moreover, I have enhanced my communication skills in italian language which could be very useful thing that could rise your chances to get accepted in job vacancies.

I hope that my experience may help you take the best decision.

Best wishes

Alex

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three points: you identify the place of study in Rome, describe learning about Italian culture, festivals and food, and explain that the experience developed skills useful for your studies and future employment. The details about the university’s location also make the account more personal. The explanation of what you learnt is relevant, but it focuses mainly on culture and cuisine; one specific insight about daily life, education or local customs would develop this part further. Similarly, explain more directly how the experience supported your university subject or academic work, rather than relying mostly on general skills. The friendly closing suits the purpose, and the reader can understand your overall experience clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: you introduce your purpose, describe where you studied, discuss what you learnt, and then explain the benefits before closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and signposts such as “Finally” and “Moreover” make the progression easy to follow. This is a well-organised letter with a clear overall flow. To make the cohesion more flexible and natural, avoid relying on formulaic transitions such as “I would like to mention also” and “Finally”; connect some details through their meaning instead. The long final paragraph also combines several benefits, so separating the academic value from the language and employment benefits could make the relationships between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “traditional festivals,” “time management,” “problem-solving” and “communication skills,” and these choices help convey your experience. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “the famous amphitheatre of Rome.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including “intitute,” “realy,” “exteremly” and “rise your chances,” reduce accuracy and sometimes make the phrasing less natural. Some expressions are also imprecise or repetitive, such as “experience about studying abroad” and “useful thing.” Build a more reliable range of natural collocations and check spelling carefully; this will help you express the same ideas more precisely without changing the friendly tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple statements and longer sentences, including the contrast in “not only … but also” and the explanation beginning “because.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “I spent one at the higher institute” is missing a clear noun after “one,” and “the university is the city centre” needs a preposition. In “which could be very useful thing,” the article is missing, while the final sentence about job vacancies has an unclear relative-clause structure. Capitalisation and punctuation also need attention, particularly after full stops and around “problem-solving.Moreover.” Practise checking sentence boundaries, articles and prepositions, while retaining your attempts at longer structures.

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