Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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 Jessica,

I hope you are doing well. Recently, I received your letter in which you want to know my experience as an international student.

Last year, I completed my one year master's in computer science from the university of Berlin, Germany. The year was majorly focused on data structures and buidling softwares. Apart from the course, the country is very systematic and beautiful. There are major attractions which are popular amongst the tourists. The city not only provides livelier coastlines where you can do various adventure activities but also helps you to relax and rejuvenate.

I will definitely suggest you to come for a year as the method of teaching here is very engaging and educational. Teachers are very skillful here as they demistfy the complex problems easily with the help of real word scenarios. While the year will definitely feel chaotic as it included intership as well, the city's atmosphere will help to escape the hustle and bustle.

Please do not hestitate to reach out if you still have any further questions.

Best wishes,

Craig

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, satisfying the requirements for location, insights about the country, and academic benefits. The writer clearly states studying at the University of Berlin, describes Germany as systematic and beautiful with lively coastlines, and explains how the engaging teaching methods and real-world scenarios aided their computer science studies. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed; for instance, the mention of data structures and building software is introduced briefly without much extension. To reach a higher band, these points would need more thorough elaboration and deeper reflection on the academic experience to fully showcase a well-developed position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a natural greeting and sign-off, and paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different topics such as location, country description, and academic benefits. Information flows logically from introducing the experience to detailing the country and finally offering suggestions. Nevertheless, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty, such as the abrupt transition between sentences regarding the city's coastlines and relaxation features, and referencing is not always completely clear. Achieving the next level would require smoother, more natural transitions between sentences and a more fluid integration of cohesive devices to guide the reader seamlessly through the ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to successfully convey their experiences and recommendations. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'rejuvenate', 'engaging', and 'demistfy', though this is accompanied by some spelling errors like 'buidling' and 'demistfy', along with minor word-choice slips such as 'real word scenarios' instead of real-world. These errors do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the text. To move beyond this band, the writer needs to demonstrate a more precise and flexible range of lexical items with fewer spelling inaccuracies and more sophisticated control over collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of structure through sentences like 'The city not only provides livelier coastlines where you can do various adventure activities but also helps you to relax and rejuvenate.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'completed my one year master's' and the minor slip in 'hestitate', but these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the meaning. The response already reflects a solid foundation of the next band by frequently utilizing complex sentence structures, but to secure a higher mark consistently, it requires greater control over minor grammatical slips and enhanced accuracy across a wider variety of complex forms.

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