Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-07

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 because I recently read an article in a national newspaper which claims that town centres in my country all look very similar to each other. I do not completely agree with this perspective. I would like to give you an offer to come and experience our town centre.

In this article, I agree with a point that states the maps of majority of buildings in my town centre are like other town centres but there are many other significant differences among them. For instance, that backyards , beautiful blue lake and the picturesque view of green trees and plants makes our town distinct from other town centres.

Other than that, many other town centres look like busy and crowded while our town centre gives a peaceful and soothing environment with other urban facilities to its people. This is another prominent reason to call it novel from others.

Furthermore, I would like to invite you in our town centre and give you a guided tour of this wonderful place to have a great experience.

Kind regards,

Bushra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly stated your position regarding the newspaper article, provided specific examples of how your town differs (mentioning the lake and green spaces), and included a polite invitation for a guided tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To improve, ensure your ideas are more fully developed; for example, when you mention that the 'maps of majority of buildings' are similar, this phrasing is slightly unclear. Expanding on why these specific features make your town unique would help you reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Other than that', and 'Furthermore' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the agreement with the article and the counter-argument could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text. To improve, try to use a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') is used more precisely to connect sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'perspective', 'distinct', 'prominent', and 'soothing'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'give you an offer' (better: 'extend an invitation') and 'maps of majority of buildings' (which is unclear). Additionally, 'novel from others' is not a standard collocation. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate that your vocabulary is functional rather than sophisticated. Focusing on more natural collocations will help improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I agree with a point that states the maps of majority of buildings' (missing articles) and 'many other town centres look like busy and crowded' (incorrect use of 'like'). You also have some issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'that backyards... makes our town distinct' (should be 'make'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, pay closer attention to article usage and subject-verb agreement.

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

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