Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08

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 Rupali,

I hope you are doing well!

I'm glad that you've decided to spend a year in Canada as a part of your University curriculum. I took admission at Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia. No doubt it is a remote area, but the exposure it gave to the students is remarkable!

I've learned several things. They're not only related to education but also to Canadian culture. In Canada, people prefer to do their own work, they follow the country's rules very strictly, and people don't judge others on the basis of the job they're doing.

After completing a year abroad, it boosted my confidence. I was an introverted person, but living by myself made me independent as well as outspoken. I got a promotion because I have international exposure, and my salary package increased by one and a half times.

If you've any questions feel free to reach out. All the very best for a new beginning!

Your friend,

Anamika

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter covers all three requested points: you identify Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, describe observations about Canadian culture, and explain personal benefits from living independently. The friendly opening and closing also suit the audience. The main limitation is that the study-related benefit is not clearly explained: confidence, independence, and a promotion are mentioned, but the reader is not told how the experience helped your university studies or academic development. The cultural observations are relevant but broad, such as people following rules and not judging occupations. To strengthen the response, add a specific example of a skill, subject, or academic perspective gained abroad and connect it directly to your course.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence, moving from the destination to cultural learning and then to the personal benefits, with separate paragraphs that make the letter easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “After completing a year abroad” and “If you’ve any questions” help signal transitions and maintain the friendly tone. Some connections could be clearer, however. The paragraph about confidence and independence shifts quickly to a promotion and salary, so the relationship between these outcomes and the benefit to your studies is not established. The cultural points are also presented as a list. Use a brief example and clearer links between each point to create more developed progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for a personal letter, including relevant expressions such as “international exposure,” “introverted,” “independent,” and “outspoken.” These choices communicate your experience clearly, and the tone is generally appropriate. Some wording is less natural or precise: “took admission” is not the usual expression for enrolling at a university, while “the exposure it gave to the students” is vague. “People prefer to do their own work” could also be more specific about the cultural observation you intend. Greater precision and more natural collocations would make the account more fluent. For example, describe a particular aspect of Canadian life rather than relying on broad generalisations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most ideas remain easy to understand. For instance, “I was an introverted person, but living by myself made me independent as well as outspoken” combines contrasting ideas effectively. Some grammatical choices are less controlled: “I took admission at Cape Breton University” uses an awkward verb pattern, and “After completing a year abroad, it boosted my confidence” has an unclear subject because “it” does not logically refer to the person completing the year. The conditional phrase “If you’ve any questions” also omits “got” in standard usage. Review verb patterns and make sure introductory phrases connect clearly to the subject of the main clause.

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