Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-29

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have just read an article in a national newspaper which claims that town centres in your country all look very similar to each other. You don't fully agree with this opinion.

Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper. In your letter

• say which points in the article you agree with
• explain ways in which your town centre is different from most other town centres
• offer to give a guided tour of your town to the writer of the article

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter inform you an mistake in a news that appeared on July 20th 2026 evening edition newspaper. As it says that all the town centres in my country are look same is not fully correct and I have some valid points to contradict this.

Firstly, the town centres in my country are all different in shapes, sizes and in heights and the only thing that is common is every centres are painted in same colour might be the reason to look similar for you. This is done purposefully to standout this building from others. Moreover, even the interior of all these constructions are different and serving different services.

However, inorder to clarify your doubt regarding the town centres in my country I could offer you a guided tour after discussing with responsible authorities. Thereby you could directly see the differences and also I am requesting you to do an correction on that news in the upcoming newspaper.

Thank you for giving the matter your attention and hope to hear your reply soon

yours faithfully,

Jithu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly state your disagreement with the article, provide reasons why your town is unique, and offer a guided tour. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For example, you mention that town centres differ in 'shapes, sizes and heights' but do not provide specific examples or descriptive details to make your argument more convincing. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting points are more fully developed with concrete examples rather than general statements. Your tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'However' to link your ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disjointed, such as the transition between the second and third paragraphs. Additionally, some sentences are slightly awkward, which affects the overall coherence. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'contradict', 'purposefully', and 'authorities'. However, there are several instances of word choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'inform you an mistake', 'are look same', and 'do an correction'. These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a limited range of vocabulary and some difficulty with collocation. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and practicing the correct usage of articles and prepositions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('all the town centres... are look same'), article usage ('an mistake', 'an correction'), and sentence construction ('every centres are painted'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammar rules, particularly verb forms and the use of articles, and try to proofread your work to catch these slips before finalizing your response.

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