Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13

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 Sarah,

I heard you are considering taking a year of foreign study with the Pakistan campus of your university. I am so excited to hear about this and I thought I'd write to you to share the experiences I had from my time abroad as an exchange student.

Like you, I also wanted to experience the Asian side so I chose to study in the Azerbaijan campus of my university for a year. There was only one campus in the city Baku

and it was located at the famous Nizami Street.

I'm so glad that I took the opportunity to discover a different country. I was surprised to see how modern the country is. The latest speed metro buses were used as means of public transport and there were several futuristic commercial and residential buildings. Furthermore, the locals were very friendly and welcoming and could communicate comfortably in English.

Studying abroad also helped me develop a depth in m final research project. I got the opportunity to work with professors that follow completely different methods. Additionally, I also surveyed the locals and included in my research sample helping my research prospects broaden.

I wish the the best of luck and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Yours truly,

Amana

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have covered all parts of the letter requirements well. You successfully told your friend's sister where you studied by mentioning the Azerbaijan campus in Baku, described what you learned about the country such as its modern infrastructure with speed metro buses and friendly, English-speaking locals, and explained how the year abroad helped your research project. Your tone is appropriate for a semi-formal/informal letter to a friend's sister. However, there is a minor geographical slip in your opening when you mention the 'Pakistan campus' while subsequently discussing Azerbaijan, which is a slight confusion in details. Nonetheless, your ideas are well-developed and fulfil all bullet points of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Your letter is organised logically into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose from the introduction to the conclusion. You use paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately to separate your points about location, cultural observations, and academic benefits. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and referencing words like 'the country' are used adequately to connect your thoughts. However, progression could be slightly smoother in places, such as the transition between the second paragraph about Baku's location and your cultural observations. Overall, the arrangement of your ideas is coherent and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary with some attempts at less common and topic-specific items, such as 'futuristic commercial and residential buildings', 'research sample', and 'exchange student'. There are a few word choice and collocation slips, such as 'taking a year of foreign study' rather than 'studying abroad for a year' and 'develop a depth in m final research project' containing a typo ('m' instead of 'my'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, your vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You have utilised a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'I was surprised to see how modern the country is' and 'I got the opportunity to work with professors that follow completely different methods'). There are a few minor grammatical and typographical errors, such as 'I wish the the best of luck' (missing 'you') and the typographical error in 'm final research project'. The majority of your sentences are clear and error-free, and your grammar and punctuation control is generally good, allowing the reader to understand your message easily.

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