Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15
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 Sarah,
Hi, How are you? glad to hear that you're going to UK for studies. I'm writing this to explain my experience of studying abroad as you asked me to guide you.
I got an offer letter from Teesside University in Middlesborough, UK. It was a small town but full of lively people. This university provides internships to enhance skills. It also sends you to different organizations for research purpose and to make you aware about the complex processes companies are currently implementing.
Due to working in different organizations, I met quite a few people there. I learned about their culture, language and occasions. My perception completely changed about different diversities after meeting those people. The people of the country was welcoming and respectful towards my religion which motivated me even more.
Last year taught me alot about my personality. It has transformed the way I communicate with people now. I have developed good interpersonal and professional skills which is helping me to deal with circumstances here. I'm more confident and active than before. Overall, it was an exciting experience.
I wish you luck for you future.
All the best,
Hira.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You address all three requested points: you identify Teesside University in Middlesbrough, describe learning about local culture and people, and explain gains in communication and professional skills. The details about internships and meeting people make the account relevant, and the friendly opening and closing suit a letter to someone you know. The explanation of what you learnt about the country is less fully developed: culture, language and occasions are listed, but a specific example would make this insight clearer. Likewise, connect your improved skills more directly to how they helped your university studies, rather than mainly describing their effect on your life now. This covers the task well, with some ideas needing fuller support.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with the reason for writing, then moves through the university, cultural experience and personal benefits before closing. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these topics, and phrases such as “Due to” and “Overall” signal relationships between ideas. However, some links are a little mechanical, and the progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the discussion of internships and research organisations shifts to meeting people without explaining how these experiences connect. The final paragraph also focuses on personal development more than study benefits. Use clearer transitions to show cause and effect, and ensure each paragraph develops one main point consistently.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range for a personal letter, including relevant phrases such as “enhance skills,” “interpersonal and professional skills,” and “welcoming and respectful.” These choices communicate your experience clearly, and attempts at more specific vocabulary add detail. Some wording is imprecise or unnatural, however: “occasions” is vague in the context of learning about a culture, while “different diversities” is awkward and unclear. “Research purpose” and “deal with circumstances” also do not express the intended ideas naturally. Aim for more precise collocations and concrete examples, such as naming a cultural tradition or explaining which academic skills you developed. These refinements would make your vocabulary more flexible and accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and the message remains easy to understand. For instance, “Due to working in different organizations, I met quite a few people there” combines a reason with a main clause, while “which motivated me even more” adds a relative clause. Some grammatical errors remain. In “Hi, How are you? glad to hear,” the sentence boundary and missing subject need attention; “The people of the country was” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “skills which is helping” also needs agreement. There are further issues in “I wish you luck for you future.” Check sentence openings, agreement, and possessives, and proofread punctuation and capitalization. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.
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.