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,

It's great to hear from you that you are planning to spend an year of your university course abroad and I'll be happy to share my experience with you.

I choose to study at McGill University in Montreal, Canda as it was recommended by a friend studying there. As my course was related to a healthcare program, studing abroad provided me an opportunity to work at hospital. This not only gave me a closer insight of job after my course but also provided hands-on practice.

I was working part-time in a hospital during my studies which has taught me to manage these tasks together. Moreover, I explored the city and its neighbouring towns with my university friends over the weekends and learned so much about the culture there.

Undoubtedly, while working at a hospital and doing experiments I build a strong foundation of my academic studies. This has definetly made me more independent and responsible for my tasks either it is making assignments or giving presentations.

I hope you find this information useful. Do let me know if you want to know more, I'd be happy to help.

All the best,

Suman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter covers all three requested points and maintains an appropriate, friendly tone. You identify McGill University in Montreal, describe learning about local culture through trips with friends, and explain how hospital work and practical experience supported your studies. The academic benefit is the clearest part: “hands-on practice” and building a “strong foundation” are relevant explanations. However, what you learnt about Canada is less fully developed; “learned so much about the culture” is general, and one specific example would make this more informative. The description of how the experience helped your studies could also connect the hospital work more explicitly to your course. This gives the response solid coverage, with some ideas needing further extension.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: you introduce the experience, describe your university and work, discuss what you learnt, and finish with its academic and personal benefits. Paragraphing helps distinguish these points, and the closing is suitable for a personal letter. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Undoubtedly” make relationships between ideas clear, although the transitions can feel somewhat formulaic. There is also a slight overlap between the hospital-work details in the second and fourth paragraphs, while the cultural-learning point is brief and could be connected more smoothly to a specific example. Overall, the letter is coherent, but more varied linking and clearer progression between related details would make cohesion more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “hands-on practice,” “foundation,” “independent,” and “responsible,” and your meaning remains clear throughout. There is some attempt at more specific language, particularly when describing hospital work and academic development. However, several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision: “a closer insight of job” is not natural, and “doing experiments” is vague in this context. Spelling errors such as “Canda,” “studing,” and “definetly” are noticeable, as is the incorrect form “choose” for the past event. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and proofread spelling; adding precise vocabulary about Canadian culture would also strengthen the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, such as the opening sentence joined with “and” and the sentence beginning “As my course was related to…”. Most ideas are understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your meaning. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however. “An year” should be “a year,” “I choose” should use the past form, and “which has taught me” does not fit smoothly with the past-time account. In “I build a strong foundation,” the verb should also be in the past tense. The phrase “either it is making assignments or giving presentations” needs a clearer grammatical construction. Check articles, tense consistency, and clause structure while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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