Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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 Rutu,

I hope you are doing well, I am writing this letter to share my experience of living abroad and the course in which I was enrolled. I studied nursing for a year in BSN University, Texas. My overall experience was excellent, I stayed with my cousin Riya, and she is really a sweet person and have helped me a lot during my struggling period. USA is a really beautiful country, where all the people are so nice to each other and there are many opportunites like good career, public transport, parks, librabry and many more. One of the most important thing I learned staying in this country is to become independent and doing things by my self. To be very honest, this is one of the best universites in this country, though the teachers and all the staff members are very friendly and supportive, with their help and guidance I was able to achieve my desire scores on my final exam. Because I was graduated from a popular university, I was able to secure a permanent nursing job with a good package within a shorter period of time. I strongly reccommend you to book your seats for the next year and I will also make sure to arrange a house for you to stay while studying abroad.

Yours faithfully,

Vraj Patel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you identify BSN University in Texas, describe learning independence and your impressions of the USA, and explain how supportive staff helped you achieve your exam results and obtain work. These details make the letter relevant and give it a clear purpose. The explanation of what you learnt about the country is less fully developed, however: broad claims that people are “so nice” and that there are “many opportunities” would be stronger with a specific example or observation. The link between studying abroad and your academic progress is present, but could explain more directly how the course or experience strengthened your nursing studies. More developed support would make the response feel more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The information follows a broadly sensible order, moving from your studies and living arrangements to impressions of the USA, academic benefits, and advice to Rutu. The opening and closing also make the purpose of the letter clear. However, nearly all the content is placed in one long paragraph, so the reader has little visual guidance through these different topics. Several ideas are joined with commas or “and,” creating a crowded flow—for example, the sentence about the university, its staff, exam results, and your job. Divide the letter into focused paragraphs and use clearer transitions between your personal experience, what you learnt, and the study benefits. This would create more consistent progression and make connections easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including relevant terms such as “nursing,” “independent,” “supportive,” and “permanent nursing job.” There are also attempts to express evaluation and recommendation. However, some wording is repetitive or imprecise, such as “really beautiful,” “so nice,” and “many opportunities,” which gives the description a general rather than specific feel. Spelling errors—including “opportunites,” “librabry,” “universites,” and “reccommend”—are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Some phrases are also awkward, such as “desire scores” and “book your seats.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; this will make your message sound more natural and polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the main message remains understandable. Some sentence patterns are handled successfully, including “Because I was graduated from a popular university, I was able to secure…” However, several sentences combine multiple clauses without appropriate punctuation, as in “I hope you are doing well, I am writing…” and “My overall experience was excellent, I stayed…”. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms: “she … have helped” should be “she … has helped,” and “I learned … to become independent and doing things” should use parallel forms, such as “to become independent and do things.” Review sentence boundaries, subject–verb agreement, and parallel structures to improve control while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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