Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-07
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 Maira,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Since you asked me about spending a year outside India required by the theatre course which I did last summer, I have some good advice for you.
When I took the course last year, the university gave me two options to go abroad either USA or Canada. I choose Canada for two reasons, first the cost of living is significantly lower compared to USA. Secondly, the natural beauty of lakes and wonderful weather in BC.
The country is very diverse in culture and ethnicity. People are welcoming and get along naturally. Apart from its beautiful mountains views and crystal clear beaches, the country has pure clean air with 0 air quality index.
Coming to the film school in which I did my placement. UBC provides exceptional resources for a deeper understanding of acting. It gave me confidence to learn from the best professors. I got rid of my stage fear in months because of the welcoming environment and recognition of the art. I hope you will find it joyful and stupendous studying there.
Best regards,
Harmanjot Singh.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated where you studied (Canada/UBC), described the country's culture and environment, and explained the academic benefits of the placement. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, while you mention the 'exceptional resources' at UBC, expanding slightly more on how these specifically aided your theatre studies would have provided a more comprehensive response. Overall, the task is fulfilled effectively with a clear purpose throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Apart from' and 'Coming to', to transition between topics. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task, contributing to the overall clarity of the message.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'significantly lower', 'diverse in culture', and 'exceptional resources'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'wonderful weather in BC' (which is a bit informal) and '0 air quality index' (which is technically awkward phrasing). You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, such as 'stupendous', though it feels slightly out of place in this context. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but more precise collocations would elevate the response to a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'I choose Canada' should be 'I chose Canada' (tense error), and 'either USA or Canada' requires articles ('the USA'). Additionally, 'the natural beauty of lakes and wonderful weather in BC' is a sentence fragment. Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage throughout your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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