Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Riya,

I hope you are doing well! I received your letter and was glad that you want to have some guidance and tips regarding your studies from me.

If I talk about the place where I spend my year during university studies was a girls hostel in German and I love to recommend it to you too because it’s best in all ways. They serve all facilities including three times meals, laundry room, free network connection, etc. Despite these things the safety is on the top level.

German is a great country to study and explore and I’m claiming this on the behalf of my experience. It’s a lively country, having wonderful people and places. Genuinely saying it has great food to explore, one with a good taste bud must visit German once in life. Plus, the uniqueness of their traditions and cultures is cherry on top. I explored different places, met different people, made a lot of friends and they are in my memories forever.

I know that you’re also doing the same designing course that I pursue and German offers the best opportunities for designers. The University under which I was doing one year studying offered numerous workshops through which I learned various techniques and skills that enhanced and improved my abilities. They offer you hand on experiences which matters alot in our profession. I must say I was the best year of my life.

I’m really very happy that you are choosing it too and I would love to share other details as well if you need.

I wish a very best of luck and looking forward to hear from you.

Take care.

Warm regards,

Taj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You identified the location (a hostel in Germany), described the country, and explained the benefits for your studies. However, there is a significant misunderstanding of the task: you describe a 'hostel' rather than the country or city where you studied. While you mention Germany, the focus on the hostel's amenities (meals, laundry) is less relevant than describing the country itself. To improve, ensure your descriptions focus more on the cultural or academic environment of the country rather than the specific accommodation facilities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing. You use some cohesive devices like 'Despite these things', 'Plus', and 'I know that', which help the flow. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'If I talk about the place where I spend my year'. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the link between the hostel description and the broader cultural experience in Germany could be smoother. Overall, the letter is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, including phrases like 'lively country' and 'uniqueness of their traditions'. However, there are several word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'German' instead of 'Germany', 'on the behalf of my experience' instead of 'based on my experience', and 'one with a good taste bud' instead of 'anyone with a refined palate'. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'where I spend my year' (should be 'spent'), 'I was the best year' (should be 'it was'), and 'looking forward to hear' (should be 'looking forward to hearing'). While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede communication. To reach a higher band, you should focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage, as you occasionally switch between past and present when describing your experience.

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

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