Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-12

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 James,

Hi, how are you? I received your letter just yesterday, and i am really happy that you didn't hesitate to ask for my experience.

Sweetie, studying abroad for one year out of the university course is quite beneficial. Actually, I was pursuing a 3-year university program in Hospitality. Out of which, I decided to undertake a year long study in Toronto, Canada.

Overall, the decision was highly effective. I got to know a lot about that country. This includes the learning and teaching methodologies, cultural differences, behavioral patterns, and work life opinions. Apart from this, I got 1-month apprenticeship there, which gave me practical exposure.

Moreover, one year of international study assisted me in various ways. It broadened my horizons immensely, resulting in better understanding of my further study. Besides this, I ranked 2nd in the university after that. Most prominently, the hands-on experience facilitated me to do better in a career later in life.

I hope this letter will help you.

See you soon.

With love,

Emily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you identify Toronto, Canada, describe learning about teaching methods and cultural differences, and explain that the experience broadened your horizons and supported your later career. However, the country-related learning is presented mainly as a list, and the link between the year abroad and your university studies is not fully explained. For example, “better understanding of my further study” is unclear, while the apprenticeship is mentioned without showing how it helped your course. The letter is relevant and gives the reader useful information, but some ideas are less fully developed than others. Add a specific example of what you learned and explain how it improved your academic knowledge or skills.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, separate paragraphs for your experience and its benefits, and a friendly closing. Linking expressions such as “Apart from this,” “Moreover,” and “Besides this” help signal the progression of ideas. At times, however, the connections feel mechanical, and some references are not fully clear. “Overall, the decision was highly effective” does not specify what the decision achieved, and “This includes” introduces a list without a strong link to the preceding sentence. The standalone sentence “Out of which, I decided…” also interrupts the flow from the previous sentence. Use clearer links between each experience and its benefit, and make references explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary and show some willingness to choose less common expressions, including “broadened my horizons,” “practical exposure,” and “hands-on experience.” These choices help communicate your experience, though some phrases are not natural or precise in context. For instance, “work life opinions” is unclear, and “understanding of my further study” does not express the intended academic benefit clearly. “Undertake a year long study” is also less idiomatic than a more direct phrase such as “spend a year studying.” These word-choice and collocation issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but more natural phrasing and precise vocabulary would strengthen the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the sentence beginning “Apart from this” and the participle phrase “resulting in better understanding…”. Most of the message remains easy to follow, although some grammatical and punctuation errors are present. “Out of which, I decided…” is a sentence fragment and should be joined to the preceding sentence. The lowercase “i” should be capitalised, and “a year long study” needs a hyphen when used before a noun (“a year-long study”). The sentence “I got 1-month apprenticeship there” also needs an article, such as “a one-month apprenticeship.” Greater control of sentence boundaries and articles would make the writing more polished.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.