Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-09

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 to convey my disappointment with the latest article in the national newspaper claiming that all the town centres in our country look particularly similar.

To begin with, I agree with one of the points in the article that almost all the town centres in our nation resemble a Cathedral like structure. However, the centre in my city Milan takes inspritation from the Roman architecture and has a considerably taller dome structure. Moreover, the back wall of the town centre has exceptionally vivid murals painted by renowned artists of our city, which none other city centre has.

If you have some time to spare next Sunday, I could give you a tour of our town centre. As my grandfather was a chief architect involved in the planning of the city centre, I have relevant knowledge and understading about its architecture, making me an excellent guide.

I would appreciate it if you could take some time to know our city centre.

Yours faithfully,

Jane.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state your partial disagreement with the article, provide specific examples of how your town centre differs (Roman architecture and murals), and extend a polite invitation for a tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully developed; for instance, while you mention the murals, explaining why they contribute to a unique identity rather than just stating they exist would add more depth to your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a single aspect of the task. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'However', and 'Moreover' to link your ideas effectively. The progression of information is easy to follow. To improve, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, 'none other city centre' is slightly awkward and could be improved to 'no other city centre' to ensure the flow remains smooth and natural throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'convey my disappointment', 'vivid murals', and 'renowned artists' are used effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Cathedral like structure' (which should be hyphenated as 'cathedral-like') and 'none other city centre' (which should be 'no other city centre'). Additionally, 'inspritation' is a spelling error. Expanding your use of less common collocations would help elevate your score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional sentence 'If you have some time to spare...'. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, though there are a few slips. For example, 'understading' is a typo, and 'Cathedral like structure' requires a hyphen. The sentence 'I would appreciate it if you could take some time to know our city centre' is grammatically sound but slightly unnatural; 'to get to know' or 'to visit' would be more idiomatic. Overall, your control of grammar is good and does not impede communication.

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

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