Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-03

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,

I am writing in response to your article I read in your newspaper last Sunday regarding town centres in Canada. The article claims that all town centres look very similar to each other.

I sincerely appreciate your research and the facts you present about them. I agree every town have followed similar plan while planning the downtown of the cities. The buildings such as shopping complex, offices and restaurants have constructed in every town in such a manner that they look same.

Although, my town is not like the other cities of the country. It protects the historical monuments and buildings. The town centre has antique design shops, hotels and the market. Moreover, it has natural sceneries which has been protected from advance constructions. These features may not be found in other town centres.

I would like to give a guided tour of the town to you for your article. Please let me know when you are available to come, so I can do the arrangements accordingly.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

PJ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state which parts of the article you agree with, explain the unique features of your town, and extend an invitation for a tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the description of your town's unique features could be more detailed to fully contrast with the 'similar' town centres mentioned in the article. Overall, the response is relevant and addresses the task requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'Although', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disjointed due to the simple sentence structures used. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'historical monuments', 'antique design', and 'natural sceneries'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'advance constructions' (should be 'modern developments') and 'do the arrangements' (should be 'make the arrangements'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('every town have followed' should be 'every town has followed') and passive voice errors ('have constructed' should be 'have been constructed'). Additionally, 'natural sceneries which has been protected' contains a number agreement error. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage would improve your accuracy.

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

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