Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16

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 Misha,

I hope you are doing well. I heard that you are also going to spend a year studying abroad as part of your university course. Therefore, I am writing to share my experience with you. Since, I had similar experience.

I studied at Ontario College of Physiotherapy, where I studied various new subjects related to my field. I also learned new techniques about treating patients. The facilities of university is excellent and food in mess was delicious and healthy.

During my stay, I learned a lot about Canadian culture, lifestyle and tradition. Moreover, I also got chance to explore Canada's vibrant night lifestyle, which is famous for its lively atmosphere and entertainment. I also found people of this country more kind, friendly and helpful.

My year of abroad studying was helpful to me because I become more confident, discipline and independent. I had to manage my time, accomodations and transportations by myself while studying. In addition, communicating with students from different backgrounds and cultures help me improve my coummunication skills.

I would defintely recommend you to study in abroad. Please let me know if you need more information regarding this experience.

Yours sincerely,

Hani Kathiriya.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required in the task instructions. First, the writer clearly states where they studied, mentioning the Ontario College of Physiotherapy. Second, they describe what they learned about the country, detailing Canadian culture, lifestyle, traditions, and the vibrant nightlife, alongside observations about friendly people. Third, they explain how the year abroad helped their studies and personal growth, noting that it improved their confidence, independence, time management, and communication skills through interacting with diverse peers. The tone is appropriately informal and friendly, fitting the general letter format. Although some points could be elaborated further, all parts of the prompt are covered clearly and relevantly, positioning this performance firmly within the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is generally coherent and follows a logical organisational structure, starting with a standard greeting, moving through the required points in separate paragraphs, and concluding politely. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related ideas, such as grouping academic facilities and location in the second paragraph, cultural observations in the third, and personal benefits in the fourth. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition markers like 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'Therefore'. However, some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or abrupt, and minor linking issues occur (e.g., 'Since, I had similar experience'). Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow, supporting a solid Band 6.5 rating.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a general correspondence task, including terms like 'vibrant', 'entertainment', 'backgrounds', and 'independent'. There are attempts to use less common expressions, though some word choices and collocations are slightly unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'food in mess' instead of 'cafeteria food', 'night lifestyle' instead of 'nightlife', and 'study in abroad' instead of 'study abroad'. Spelling is mostly accurate, with a few slips like 'accomodations' and 'transportations' (which should be uncountable in this context), and 'defintely'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended message clearly without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('where I studied various new subjects') and participial phrases. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include punctuation and fragment issues ('Since, I had similar experience'), subject-verb agreement errors ('The facilities of university is'), tense or form inconsistencies ('help me improve' instead of 'helped'), and misuse of pluralisation ('accomodations and transportations'). Despite these recurring errors, the meaning remains clear and communication is not seriously impeded. The control of grammar aligns best with Band 6 descriptors.

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

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