Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-01

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 Klara,

I am writing this letter to tell you about my experiene of studying abroad and i hope it will help you to make a better decision.

Luckily in my final year the university shortlisted me for the exchange student program and gave me the opportunity to study in Shandong university, China. It is one of the top 10 universities in China and top 100 globally.

Apart from my studies i had the opportunity to explore the culture, history, food and traditions of China. I learnt how thier way of living is different from us.It gave me a different prespective to see life.

Not only i had explore China but it was also very helpful for my studies. I got to know international students from all over the world and our teachers were also very kind.

They helped us grow and encouraged us to do mistakes and learn from them.

I will encourage you to go abroad for studies.

Kind Regards.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify Shandong University in China, mention learning about its culture, history, food and traditions, and explain that meeting international students and receiving encouragement from teachers helped your studies. The information is relevant and the recommendation to go abroad gives the letter a suitable personal purpose. However, the learning and academic benefits are only briefly described. For example, “a different perspective to see life” is broad, and the link between the experience and your university studies could be clearer. Add a specific example of what you learned about China and explain how the international environment or teaching improved your subject knowledge or skills.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall sequence: you introduce your experience, describe the university and country, then discuss the benefits and offer advice. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “Apart from my studies” and “Not only” signal relationships between ideas. Some connections are less smooth, however. The sentence beginning “Not only” does not complete the expected paired structure, and “They helped us” could refer either to the teachers or the international students. The closing also lacks a clear sign-off format. Use more precise references, connect the academic benefits directly to your studies, and finish with a conventional closing such as “Best wishes” followed by your name.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a personal letter, including “exchange student program,” “traditions,” “international students,” and “encouraged.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally appropriate. There are some spelling and word-choice errors, including “experiene,” “thier,” and “prespective,” which reduce accuracy. A few expressions are also broad or unnatural: “a different perspective to see life” and “encouraged us to do mistakes” do not express the ideas idiomatically. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, you could describe gaining “a broader perspective” and being encouraged to “learn from our mistakes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, such as “Apart from my studies I had the opportunity to explore…” and “They helped us grow and encouraged us…”. The message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. In “Not only I had explore China,” the word order and verb form are incorrect; use “Not only did I explore China, but…” or a simpler construction. “I learnt how their way of living is different from us” also needs a clearer comparison, such as “how their way of life differs from ours.” Remember to capitalise “I” and use punctuation to separate sentences, as in “us. It gave…”. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the letter.

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