Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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 Chido,

I am excited that you are deciding to take a year studying outside the country during your university course. Manchester University was the one that I attended because it is one of the best internationally recognised schools for research work.

As you are aware that I was doing a research on the old aged care, I have learnt the systems put in place for the elderly in United Kingdom. Unlike in our own culture where we take care of our grandparents, the old age in Britain are placed in Care home where nurses take care of them. I loved my stay there because I discovered that despite race, gender or age they treat each other with respect.

Having experience overseas played a pivotal role in my research. My research has been one of the best at school and it has been published recently. Most of the ideas gathered are now being implemented in the healthcare systems. I have been awarded a PHD scholarship for next year beacause of my research work.

Spending a year abroad for your Course would be the best decision.

Yours faithfully,

Ruth

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points: you identify Manchester University, describe learning about elderly care and respectful treatment in Britain, and explain how the experience supported your research and led to publication and a scholarship. These details make the account relevant and give the reader a clear reason to consider studying abroad. The research benefits are particularly well supported, while the description of the country is somewhat general: the contrast with care in your own culture is useful, but one specific observation about daily life or university study in Britain would develop this point further. The closing recommendation is clear. To strengthen the letter, make the advice more personal by explaining what your friend’s sister might gain from a similar experience.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression: you introduce your university, describe what you learned about the country, explain the academic benefits, and finish with a recommendation. Paragraphing supports this structure, and links such as “Unlike in our own culture” and “Having experience overseas” help connect ideas. The letter is easy to follow overall. Some transitions could be more natural, however: “As you are aware that” makes the move into the research topic awkward, and the final recommendation feels slightly abrupt after the scholarship detail. A smoother link explaining how the research experience informs your advice would improve the flow. The opening and sign-off also create a somewhat formal tone for a letter to a friend’s sister.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for the topic, including “internationally recognised,” “pivotal role,” “implemented,” and “scholarship.” These choices communicate the academic benefits clearly and show some ability to use less common expressions. There are also several imprecise or unnatural choices that limit flexibility and precision: “the old aged care” is not a natural phrase, “the old age in Britain” does not refer clearly to older people, and “Care home” is not normally capitalised in this context. The spelling “beacause” is another noticeable slip. Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms, such as “elderly care,” “older people,” and “care homes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes both straightforward sentences and attempts at more complex structures, for example the contrast beginning “Unlike in our own culture” and the reason introduced by “because.” Meaning is generally clear, and the sentence forms are varied enough to communicate the main points. Some grammatical errors remain. “As you are aware that I was doing a research” has an incorrect clause pattern and article use; “the old age in Britain are placed” has a subject–verb agreement problem; and “I have been awarded a PHD scholarship for next year because of my research work” would be clearer with a more accurate time construction. Review clause patterns, agreement, and articles, then proofread punctuation and capitalisation to improve control.

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