Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-08

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 Marry,

I hope this letter finds you well. As you asked me about my experience of studying abroad a year. I am writing this to tell you about my experience and provide you with some information that might helps you.

First of all, I will tell you about my university. I studied one year master's course in management from The Oxford University, London. They offer scholarships for international students and fortunately, I also got that. Along with discounted tuition fees, they also provide accommodations for students. All these facilities made my year easy and comfortable to live there.

Next, I learned different life styles, various cultures and different languages spoken in London. Moreover, while living there, I explored many famous areas and historical places to gain more knowledge about history of London. This helped me to become more confident and aware of my surroundings.

Lastly, this one year experience was extremely valuable for me in learning and gaining knowledge from different people. There was a peaceful environment that helped me in focusing my study carefully. Furthermore, the faculty members were very professional and supportive which made my studies more easy and understandable.

Please let me know, if you required further information.

Yours Sincerely,

Maha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified where you studied, described your cultural learning experiences, and explained the academic benefits of your year abroad. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister, maintaining a friendly and informative style throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, when mentioning the 'peaceful environment,' you could briefly explain how that specifically impacted your academic performance. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each prompt requirement, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all,' 'Next,' and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader through your points. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the flow between some sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between discussing the university facilities and the cultural learning could be more sophisticated. The use of referencing is generally clear, and the letter follows a standard, easy-to-follow structure suitable for a semi-formal correspondence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'scholarships,' 'tuition fees,' and 'faculty members' correctly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'studying abroad a year' (should be 'for a year') and 'made my studies more easy' (should be 'easier'). While you successfully convey your meaning, the vocabulary is somewhat functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, try to incorporate more precise adjectives and varied collocations to describe your experiences, which would elevate the overall quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist, such as 'might helps you' (should be 'might help you') and 'I studied one year master's course' (missing an article: 'a one-year'). Additionally, there is a sentence fragment in the opening: 'As you asked me about my experience of studying abroad a year.' Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the reader can easily follow your message. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help you achieve a higher score.

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