Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-03

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 Kiran,

I was happy to hear that you are considering Canada to continue your higher studies in the university. Since you asked about my experience, I would like to mention that studying abroad is good decision especially in Canada.

I completed my studies in St Claire college in Brampton, Ontario. This college is one of the best college as this not only provide beneficial courses in reasonal fees but also gives a flexible schedule according to the students avaliability. Although they give in-person classes at college, I chosed the virtual classes in order to save some money and travel time.

As I am staying in this country for almost 5 years now, I have learnt that they give equality and respect to all people living here. Everyone gets equal employement opportunies according to their qualifications. Moreover, the public transport is very accessible because you can see the timing and route of busses on the transit application.

Finally, I would like to tell you that my studies went very smooth because I was able to do job while studing so that I can pay my fees and take care of other expenses myself. I have developed time management, confidence and communication skills while studing in Canada.

I hope you find my feedback on studying abroad helpful. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes,

Raj.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains an appropriate, friendly tone. You identify St Claire College in Brampton, Ontario, describe learning about equality, employment opportunities and public transport in Canada, and explain that working while studying helped you pay expenses and develop useful skills. These details make the response relevant and give the reader a clear account of your experience. The explanation of what you learnt about the country is somewhat general, however, and the study benefit could be linked more directly to your university course rather than mainly to finances and personal skills. Adding a specific example of how your studies improved would extend the ideas and make the advice more informative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear sequence: you introduce the topic, describe the college, discuss what you learnt about Canada, and then explain the benefits of studying there. Paragraphing supports this progression, and signposts such as “Moreover” and “Finally” help the reader follow the letter. The opening and closing also suit the friendly purpose. Some connections are a little mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “I would like to” and the transition into the final paragraph. You could make the progression feel more natural by linking each paragraph explicitly to Kiran’s decision—for example, moving from your observations about Canada to how those experiences affected your studies. Overall, the organisation is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including relevant expressions such as “flexible schedule,” “public transport,” “qualifications,” and “time management.” The range is adequate for this personal letter, but several word-choice, collocation and spelling problems reduce precision: “reasonal fees,” “students avaliability,” “employment opportunies,” and “take care of other expenses myself.” Some phrases are also awkward, such as “continue your higher studies in the university” and “my studies went very smooth.” These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, but they show that vocabulary is not yet consistently controlled. Check spelling carefully and learn natural word partnerships, especially for describing costs, study arrangements and personal development.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause in “I chose the virtual classes in order to save some money and travel time” and a concessive opening with “Although.” Most ideas remain clear, but some grammatical errors persist. For example, “This college is one of the best college” has a number-agreement problem, while “this not only provide” and “they give equality” show problems with verb forms or sentence construction. In “I was able to do job while studying so that I can pay my fees,” the article and tense pattern need attention. Aim to check subject–verb agreement, articles and consistent tense, while retaining the complex structures you already attempt.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.