Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04
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 Riya,
I hope that you are doing well. I am really excited to know that you are planning to study abroad as a part of your university curriculum.
To begin with my experience about this course. If I get a chance to retake it I would go for it again as the Japan University has best architecture and faculties along with beautiful environment where you can enjoy studies. Moreover, this course provides an opportunity to stay with a local host family as a part of a foreign exchange program. Consequently, due to this I learnt lot about local culture, traditions, food and etiquetes.
On the other hand, the university offers this course at various nations but I choose Japan as I was keen to know about magnificent engineering in terms of transportation and infrastructure. While I learned all this during this course, also am using it in my studies in India specifically, the Japanese Math tricks.
Yours sincerely
Deep Ukani
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points: the location (Japan University), what was learned (culture, traditions, and infrastructure), and the relevance to studies (Japanese math tricks). However, the development of these points is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation of how the experience helped with studies in India is quite brief and lacks detail. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister, though the opening is slightly abrupt. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your personal reflections and provide more specific examples of how the experience impacted your academic growth.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'Consequently', and 'On the other hand'. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or are used with minor grammatical errors, such as 'Consequently, due to this I learnt...'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved to sound more natural. The paragraphing is sufficient, but the overall structure could benefit from a more cohesive closing statement before the sign-off.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'curriculum', 'architecture', 'infrastructure', and 'etiquettes'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Japan University has best architecture' (missing 'the') and 'various nations' (should be 'various countries'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the control is not always precise. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your message clearly, but it lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'To begin with my experience about this course' (fragment), 'I choose Japan' (tense error, should be 'chose'), and 'also am using it' (missing subject). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that impede the flow. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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