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 Kiran,

I hope you're well. I'm very thrilled to hear that you have decided to study for one year in foreign country as per your University requirements. I want to share my experience, which would be helpful for you.

My dream country to study abroad was Canada, so I took admission in Langara college in Surrey British Columbia. During that time I enrolled in a Marketing programme as it was related to my course in India. Hence, I didn't face any difficulty understanding the basics of that course.

While studying in Canada, I learned about their culture, cuisine, infrastructure, rules regulations and the most important thing, priority to the pedestrians when they cross the road. Also, know about the helping nature of people.

In my case, everything I explore and learned during my educational period was beneficial for me. One part I like the most is gaining confidence by giving a presentation in the classroom which was completely challenging for me when I was in my home country. But due to applying new strategies and exploring other students confidence levels I developed this skill and become successful in it.

Hope this helps you. Don't hesitate to ask for any help in the future.

Yours lovingly,

Ammy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified where you studied (Langara College, Canada), described what you learned about the country (culture, infrastructure, and the helpful nature of the people), and explained the benefits to your studies (gaining confidence through presentations). The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that the descriptions are slightly more detailed; for instance, elaborating on how the 'infrastructure' specifically differed from your home country would add more depth to your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Hence', 'While', and 'Also' to connect ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or abrupt. For example, the jump between describing the country and discussing your personal academic growth could be smoother with a better linking sentence. Paragraphing is used correctly to separate the different topics, which helps the reader follow your narrative easily. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrolled', 'infrastructure', and 'pedestrians'. There are some minor word choice issues, such as 'took admission in' (a more natural phrasing would be 'enrolled at') and 'priority to the pedestrians' (which could be phrased as 'the importance placed on pedestrian safety'). While you communicate your meaning effectively, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and idiomatic expressions that would sound more natural in an informal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'in foreign country' (missing an article), 'rules regulations' (missing a conjunction), and 'everything I explore and learned' (tense inconsistency). Additionally, 'become successful in it' should be 'became successful'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the overall communication of your message. To achieve a higher band, focus on consistent verb tense usage and ensure that articles and prepositions are used correctly in your complex sentences.

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

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