Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-23

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 Maggy,

Hope your doing well!, I see you're thinking about spending a year studying abroad for your university course. I did study abroad for university as you know and I don't mind sharing my experience about it.

I studied at the University of Toronto in Canada, I was nervous at first, because it was a new country and I didn't know what to expect. I gradually got comfortable with adapting to the new culture and environment.

Being there made me realize that the people there are very polite and inclusive compare to my home country. This allowed me to be less anxious about finding my way around. I was able to stop and ask people for directions with no probem, which I appreciate alot because getting around can be difficult in a new country.

The year abroad truly helped me gain experiences and knowledge. I was able to expand myelf and experience a different education system, learning new approaches to my studies.

Lastly, living abroad have made me become more responsible and independent so it will definitely prepare you for your future career opportunities.

All the best,

Anna-Leah

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you identify the University of Toronto in Canada, describe the politeness and inclusiveness of local people, and explain that experiencing a different education system helped you learn new approaches. The advice about becoming more responsible and independent also makes the letter relevant to your friend’s sister. The experience is clear, but some points are more fully explained than others: the cultural observation is supported with a specific example about asking for directions, while the academic benefit is stated more generally. To strengthen the response, explain one concrete way a new study approach improved your university work, and add a little more detail about what you learned about Canada beyond people’s manners.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: you introduce the topic, describe your experience in Canada, explain what you noticed about its people, and then discuss academic and personal benefits. Paragraphing helps distinguish these ideas, and transitions such as “Lastly” make the final point easy to follow. Some links are less smooth or precise, however. The opening moves quickly from the recipient’s plans to your own experience, and “This allowed me” refers somewhat broadly to the preceding description. The sequence of “The year abroad” and “Lastly” also separates related benefits into short sections. Use clearer references and connect the academic and personal outcomes more deliberately to make the progression feel more flexible and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for explaining a personal experience, and phrases such as “new culture and environment,” “different education system,” and “new approaches to my studies” communicate the main ideas. You also use relevant terms such as “polite,” “inclusive,” “responsible,” and “independent.” There are some word-choice, spelling, and collocation inaccuracies that keep the expression from being consistently precise: “expand myself” is unclear in this context, “with no probem” contains a spelling error, and “appreciate alot” is informal and misspelled. “Gain experiences and knowledge” is also a broad, less natural phrase. Aim for more precise academic and cultural vocabulary, and check spelling and standard written forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a subordinate clause in “I was nervous at first, because it was a new country” and a relative clause in “which I appreciate.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “Hope your doing well” needs a subject and the correct form “you’re”; “people there are very polite and inclusive compare to my home country” has an incorrect comparative construction; and “living abroad have made me” has subject–verb disagreement. The opening also has an unnecessary comma and exclamation mark combination. Review verb agreement, contractions, and comparative structures, while keeping the varied sentence forms you already attempt.

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