Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-14

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 Liza,

How have you been? I hope you and your family is doing well.

Your elder sister Mary told me that you were planning to spend a year studying in Dubai as part of your university course. I'm glad to tell you that I've recently completed my one year course in Dubai and I had a wonderful experience.

I had enrolled for a one year Accounting course at Bits Pilani University, Dubai. They provided me with theory and practical classes both. The faculty is very polite and professional.

As you must be knowing that, Dubai is a culturally diverse country. During study, I got a chance to interact with people from different countries. Also, I made some international friends as well and enjoyed their native foods. Alongside study, this university will help you develop your interpersonal skills when you communicate and collaborate with the diverse group of people.

The year I spent while studying in Dubai has really been very fruitful for me especially in terms of career. After completing six months course, they conducted a placement drive through which I got an employment opportunity. So right after completing the course, I started working in a Dubai based company as an Accountant.

Finally, I'd strongly recommend this university to you. If you still need any help, you can write me back.

Best wishes,

Karuna.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter covers all three requested points: you identify Bits Pilani University in Dubai, describe meeting people from different countries and experiencing their food, and explain that the course led to an accounting job. The friendly opening and closing also suit a letter to someone you know. However, the description of what you learnt about the country is relatively narrow: cultural diversity is mentioned, but there is little detail about what this taught you about Dubai itself. The explanation of academic benefit is also less fully developed than the career outcome; the placement and job are clear, but the link between the year abroad and your university studies could be explained more directly. Expanding these two points would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter is arranged in a clear overall sequence: greeting and context, course details, cultural experience, career benefit, and recommendation. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and phrases such as “Also,” “Alongside study,” and “Finally” signal connections between ideas. This gives the response a coherent progression. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and a few references are not fully clear. For example, “this university will help you develop” shifts from describing your past experience to predicting the recipient’s future, while “they conducted a placement drive” leaves the referent of “they” somewhat vague. More precise transitions and references would make the cohesion smoother and more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “culturally diverse,” “interpersonal skills,” “collaborate,” and “employment opportunity.” These choices help communicate both the social and professional aspects of your experience, and the meaning remains clear. There are some awkward word choices and collocations, though. “My one year course” and “a Dubai based company” would read more naturally with standard compound forms, while “enjoyed their native foods” is less idiomatic than describing the foods as traditional or local. “Theory and practical classes both” is also an awkward phrase. Aim for natural combinations of words and precise phrasing rather than adding formal-sounding vocabulary where a simpler expression is more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex forms, such as “Your elder sister Mary told me that you were planning…” and the sentence explaining the placement drive and subsequent job. Most ideas are understandable, and errors rarely obstruct the message. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain: “I hope you and your family is doing well” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “As you must be knowing that” has an awkward clause structure. There are also tense and reference shifts, particularly “this university will help you develop” within a description of your own past experience. Review agreement, clause construction, and consistent past-tense narration. Greater control of these forms would make the varied sentence structures more accurate.

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

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