Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-04

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 Sharon,

Hope your studies are going fine. I got to hear from your brother that you are planning to spend a year in Canada as a part of your university course. In my opinion you are absolutely making a correct decision, as the study and culture abroad is quite amazing.

When I went for my higher studies to Norway Cambridge University for an year I had expeience different courses which I never heard of in our country. Students helped me in settling up and also in my assignment which at the very starting I was struggling with.

Besides studying I had worked at a restaurant so that I can bear my expenses and rent. While working there I had experienced quite amazing things, like how other people live and behaves, what they eat and about their day to day routine. Sometimes yes you'll fell left out or alone as you will live there without your family but most of the people are so helpful and kind in nature that you'll never get bored.

You'll learn new things and when you'll come back here studying abroad will help you in finding good jobs opportunity, as people here value the candidate who had done their studies abroad.

Yours Sincerely,

James

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify Norway as your study destination, describe learning about local lifestyles through restaurant work, and explain that studying abroad exposed you to unfamiliar courses and helped with assignments. The advice about feeling lonely and receiving help from others also suits the letter’s purpose. However, the destination is confusingly described as “Norway Cambridge University,” and the explanation of how the experience helped your studies is less developed than the cultural description. The claim that overseas study helps with “finding good jobs” shifts away from the requested academic benefit. Clarify the university and add a specific example of how your learning or skills improved your university work.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening that responds to Sharon’s plans, paragraphs about study and life in Norway, and a closing recommendation. Ideas generally progress in a sensible order, and linking phrases such as “Besides studying” help signal a change of focus. Some connections are less smooth, however. The paragraph beginning “When I went…” moves from courses to settling in and assignments without clearly showing how these points relate, while the final paragraph introduces job prospects rather abruptly. Use clearer links between your experience and its benefits, and keep each paragraph focused on one main aspect. The greeting and sign-off are appropriate for an informal letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary for study and daily life, including “assignment,” “settling,” “expenses,” “rent,” and “day to day routine.” These choices make the experience understandable, and phrases such as “left out or alone” communicate personal feelings clearly. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “bear my expenses,” “study and culture abroad,” and “good jobs opportunity.” There are also spelling and word-form errors, such as “expeience” and “behaves.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling and forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the conditional idea “when you’ll come back here” and a sentence explaining that people may feel alone while living away from family. The main message remains clear, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. Examples include “for an year,” “what they eat and about their day to day routine,” and “people here value the candidate who had done their studies abroad.” Verb forms and agreement also need attention in “how other people live and behaves.” Practise consistent tense choices when recounting past experiences, as well as articles, agreement, and parallel sentence structure. More accurate control of these patterns would make your varied sentences easier to follow.

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