Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-28
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 Reet,
I hope you and your family are doing well! I'm writing this letter to share my experience of studying abroad.
Firstly, I'd like to tell you about my college and the city where I was living during the time when i was student in Canada. The college name is Conestoga College of Management which is situated in Kitchener, Ontario. This is one of the best college in the state, which provides several number of courses in every field.
Studying in Canada not only helped me on the academic side, but it also helped me to explore canada's diverse culture. During my stay in Canada I've come acroos numerous people from different countries and cultures. I've learned so many new things from those people.
The study I did in Canada helped me in so many ways. Firstly, I learned french language there which was beneficial for my postgraduate course. In addition to that, I've leaned Canadian work culture by doing a part-time job there.
All the best for your future! Stay in touch.
Warm regards,
Jass,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response successfully covers all bullet points required by the prompt. You mentioned where you studied by stating that your college was Conestoga College of Management in Kitchener, Ontario. You also described what you learned about the country, specifically mentioning canada's diverse culture and meeting numerous people from different backgrounds. Additionally, you explained how the year abroad helped your studies by noting that you learned French for your postgraduate course and gained Canadian work culture experience through a part-time job. The tone of the letter is friendly and appropriate for writing to a friend's sister. All parts of the task are adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter follows a clear, logical structure with an appropriate opening greeting and closing sign-off. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, such as introducing the location, discussing cultural experiences, and explaining academic benefits. You used cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition to that', and 'not only... but it also' to connect your ideas. However, some referencing is slightly mechanical and could flow more naturally. Overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, justifying a Band 7.0 for this criterion.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your experiences and thoughts. You attempted some less common vocabulary items and collocations, such as 'diverse culture', 'postgraduate course', and 'work culture'. However, there are some noticeable vocabulary and capitalization errors, such as failing to capitalize 'Canada' ('canada's') and 'French' ('french'), as well as spelling errors like 'acroos' instead of 'across' and 'leaness' instead of 'learned'. These errors show an adequate range with some limitations, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptor well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
You demonstrated a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like 'I'm writing this letter to share...' and 'Studying in Canada not only helped me..., but it also helped me...'. There are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including article issues ('The college name is Conestoga College', 'one of the best college') and pluralisation errors ('several number of courses'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede overall communication. Your control of grammar aligns well with the requirements for a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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