Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18

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,

How're you? Hope this letter finds you well. I'm delighted that you are thinking about spending a year studying abroad as part of your university course.

I visited Canada in 2025 and studied Business Management from Mohawk College. The teachers are very supportive and provide adequate guidance whenever students need it. It is located in the centre of Mississauga near Square one mall. There is an adequate transportation system, consequently you will never face any problem in reaching there.

When I moved to Canada, I was astounded by seeing the diverse cultural background. There is no descrimination based on any caste or religions. People are appreciated for the work they performed and deserving candidate always get promoted. Before going to Canada, you have to apply for study visa, once your visa is approved then only you can pursue your study. Along with study, you are allowed to work part time for 20 hours to reimburse your day-to-day expenses.

It helped me in implementing the theoretical knowledge into the practical life. Moreover, I understand the importance of diverse culture, team work, reduce dependency and boost my confidence level which I believe not only helped me in studying but also helped me in improving my personality as a whole.

Hope this imformation will help you in making right decision.

Yours lovingly,

Navdeep Kahlon

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. You mentioned where you studied by writing 'I visited Canada in 2025 and studied Business Management from Mohawk College.' You described what you learned about the country by noting 'the diverse cultural background' and observing that 'there is no descrimination based on any caste or religions.' Furthermore, you explained how the year abroad helped your studies by stating 'It helped me in implementing the theoretical knowledge into the practical life.' The tone is appropriately informal and friendly throughout, suitable for writing to a friend's sister. All parts of the task are well-addressed with relevant and extended ideas, deserving a solid band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle, and end, using standard greeting and sign-off conventions. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different themes, such as location, cultural observations, and academic benefits. Cohesive devices are employed, including words like 'consequently' and 'moreover,' though some transitions feel slightly mechanical, such as shifting abruptly into visa requirements. Referencing is generally clear, although the progression between sentences in the second body paragraph could be smoother. Overall, the text presents a coherent and easily followed narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'theoretical knowledge,' 'adequate guidance,' and 'diverse cultural background.' However, there are some noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'descrimination' (discrimination) and 'imformation' (information). Collocations are occasionally unnatural, such as 'studied Business Management from Mohawk College' instead of 'at Mohawk College.' Despite these minor inaccuracies, the range is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly without impeding the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and conditional-style time markers like 'once your visa is approved then only you can pursue your study.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including tense inconsistencies like 'How're you? ... I visited Canada in 2025' and prepositional mistakes like 'astounded by seeing.' Other errors include singular/plural mismatches such as 'religions' instead of 'religion' and missing articles or punctuation issues. However, these errors do not impede overall communication, allowing you to achieve a clear Band 6.0.

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

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