Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 Emma,

Its great to hear from you that you are thinking to pursue one year of your studies in abroad and you want to know about my experience.

As I was enrolled is a healthcare course, I decided to go McGill University in Montreal, Canada because it was recommended by a friend who has been studying there. This opportunity not only provided me with brief theoratical knowledge but also gave hands-on-practice. Moreover, the teachers were professional and always ready to help whenever needed.

While learning in Canada, I got a chance to work in a hospital on part-time basis. Although it was challenging to manage studies and job, I learned how to maintain a balance between them. Along with this, I spent my weekends for exploring the city and neighbouring towns with my university friends.

I believe my year abroad has helped me to become more independent and refine my personality. Canada offers a different appraoch for teaching which is less relied on textbooks and more on experiments and assignments. Eventually, it has gave me more time to learn the essential skills such as how to handle difficult situations and patients.

I hope you find this information useful. Do

All the Best,

Suman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you identify McGill University in Montreal, describe learning about Canadian teaching and gaining hospital experience, and explain that the year helped you become independent and develop practical skills. These details make the letter relevant and personal. The explanation of what you learnt about Canada is less fully developed, however: the contrast between teaching methods is useful, but you say little about the country beyond this and exploring nearby places. The study benefits are clearer, though “handle difficult situations and patients” could be linked more directly to your healthcare studies. To strengthen the response, add a specific example of a cultural or educational difference and explain how it affected your academic progress.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, paragraphs about your university and experiences, an explanation of the benefits, and a closing. Connectors such as “Moreover,” “Although,” and “Along with this” help show relationships between ideas, and the sequence is generally easy to follow. Some links feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely; for example, “Along with this” introduces weekend activities without clearly connecting them to what you learnt about Canada. The final “Do” is an unfinished fragment before the sign-off, which disrupts the otherwise appropriate letter structure. Use transitions that make the connection explicit, and complete the closing sentence, such as “Do let me know if you have any questions.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a personal letter, including relevant terms such as “hands-on practice,” “part-time basis,” “independent,” and “essential skills.” These help communicate your healthcare and study experiences. There are also attempts at more specific vocabulary, but some choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “brief theoretical knowledge,” “spent my weekends for exploring,” and “a different approach for teaching.” Spelling errors such as “theoratical” and “appraoch” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, but more natural phrasing would make it clearer and more fluent. Check common word partnerships and spelling when revising.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a subordinate clause beginning “Although it was challenging…” and a relative clause in “a friend who has been studying there.” Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. Examples include “Its great” without the apostrophe, “I was enrolled is a healthcare course,” “go McGill University,” and “it has gave me,” where verb forms, prepositions, or tense construction need correction. The unfinished “Do” also leaves the final sentence incomplete. Practise checking verb forms and sentence completeness, and review articles and prepositions in phrases such as “go to a university” and “enrolled in a course.”

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