Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Mrs Barrett, an English-speaking woman who lives in your town, has advertised for someone to help her in her home for a few hours a day next summer.

Write a letter to Mrs Barrett. In your letter

• suggest how you could help her in her home
• say why you would like to do this work
• explain when you will and will not be available

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mrs Barrett,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Ms Barrett,

I hope you are doing well!

I saw your advertisement near my house about some help you may need in your house. I would like to let you know that I am available to help you next summer.

I have some experience in doing plumbing jobs and repairing damaged home appliance. Well, we all are aware about how bad our buildings have been constructed. Every year, we face issues with water leaking, specifically for our bathrooms.

I understand, how your husband, John, gets busy during the summer time. On the other hand, I stay busy in winters and free in summer. I want to help you because I do not want to spend my summer time doing nothing and sitting ideal. In that case, helping you will be better for me instead.

I will be available at evening time during the weekdays. Unfortunately, I will not be available on the weekends because I spend this days with my family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all parts of the task well. First, the writer suggests how they can help in Mrs Barrett's home by mentioning plumbing jobs and repairing damaged home appliances. Second, the reason for wanting to do the work is clearly stated as wanting to stay productive and not spend the summer doing nothing, as well as acknowledging the husband's busy schedule. Third, availability is addressed, stating that the writer is free in the summer, specifically during weekday evenings, while explicitly noting when they will not be available, which is on weekends. Ideas are appropriately extended and relevant to the context of a general letter. The tone is mostly polite and fits the purpose of the task. Overall, the response meets all requirements for this criterion successfully, earning a band score of 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is coherent with an overall logical arrangement. The student uses standard formal letter formatting conventions, beginning with an appropriate salutation ("Dear Ms Barrett,"). Paragraphing is used to separate different points, such as the introduction, the specific help offered, the reasons for working, and availability. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel a bit conversational or slightly mechanical, such as "Well, we all are aware..." and "On the other hand". Referencing is generally clear, and the progression of the letter moves smoothly from the initial purpose to the specific details requested in the prompt. Therefore, a solid band score of 6.5 is appropriate for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Words and phrases such as "advertisement," "plumbing jobs," "damaged home appliance," and "available" are used accurately. However, there are some noticeable lexical and collocational errors or slightly awkward phrasings, such as "stay busy in winters and free in summer" instead of 'winters' and 'summers', and "sitting ideal" instead of the correct collocation "sitting idle". Additionally, "at evening time" is slightly unnatural compared to "in the evening". Despite these minor slips, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, justifying a band score of 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. Examples of complex structures include "I would like to let you know that I am available to help you next summer" and "I want to help you because I do not want to spend my summer time doing nothing..." There are some grammatical and punctuation errors present, such as a comma splice in "I understand, how your husband, John, gets busy..." and an incorrect article/plural usage in "how bad our buildings have been constructed" and "I spend this days with my family" (where 'this' should be 'these'). There are also double spaces in the final paragraph. However, these errors rarely impede communication, resulting in a band score of 6.0.

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

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