Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-04

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 Rabia,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. It's been a while since we communicated. I have been told that you are planning to complete your final modules of courses at a university abroad. Why don't you let me share my experience in this matter?

Recently, I finished my final year of mechanical engineering at Standford University, one of the esteemed university in Germany.

Being over there, I faced some hardships while studying and staying. As you know, the ambiance of your studying changes when you change a university. It took me a while to cop up all the changes. Other than this, I had to face language and food issues while staying there. On the good side, the local people are very nice and cooperative.

Overall, I would say it was a good experience being there. I got to learn how to work with the people of different nationalities, which will definitely help me in public dealings in my new job. Moreover, I got an opportunity to do intern-ship in my course which gave me a good understanding of the practical side of my engineering.

I hope you find my experience helpful in making your decision.

Regards

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, though some sections lack sufficient development. For instance, the instruction to tell the reader where you studied is partially met by mentioning 'Standford University... in Germany', which contains a geographical inaccuracy as Stanford is in the United States, alongside a minor spelling error. The description of what was learned about the country is somewhat limited, relying on general statements like 'the local people are very nice and cooperative' rather than deep cultural insights. Furthermore, the explanation of how the year abroad helped with studies covers relevant ideas, such as practical internship experience and working with diverse nationalities, but these points remain slightly under-developed. To reach a higher standard, the ideas would need to be extended with more specific details and clearer supporting examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable letter structure, beginning with an appropriate salutation and ending with a sign-off. Information and ideas are generally presented in a logical sequence, moving from the introduction to the location, living experience, and professional benefits. However, paragraphing and referencing are occasionally mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'Other than this' and 'On the good side' feel slightly repetitive and unsophisticated. While cohesive devices are present, they are sometimes used rigidly, and the progression between paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a more natural flow of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'ambiance', 'nationalities', and 'practical side'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and word-choice errors that prevent a higher score. For instance, 'esteemed university' contains a singular/plural agreement error ('university' instead of 'universities'), and the phrasal verb 'cop up' is incorrect, as the proper term is 'cope with'. Additionally, 'intern-ship' is hyphenated incorrectly as a single word, and 'public dealings' is an unnatural collocation in this context. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally communicated, but greater precision and correct word formation are needed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as 'As you know, the ambiance of your studying changes...' and conditional-like or temporal clauses. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but these rarely impede communication. Examples include missing articles or preposition issues, such as 'change a university' instead of 'change university' or 'change universities'. Verb forms are mostly controlled, though minor slips occur. The punctuation is generally adequate, and the sentences are varied enough to show a reasonable command of basic and moderately complex structures, though a wider variety of error-free complex sentences is necessary for a higher assessment.

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