Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-14

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 express my disagreement with the article published in the New Times newspaper, claiming the extreme similarities in the town centers throughout the country.

The monotonous construction of clubs, pubs, and bar-restaurants surround almost every city center have been mentioned in the article which I completely agree with. As, these buildings make the place less attractive and demanding.

However, in my town of Woolwich, there is a major difference, at its center point instead of commonly seen stores and restaurants like other cities, we have a skating rink surrounded by the seasonal makeshift stalls of locally handmade products and foods. It is exiting to visit our town hall as one would always finds a unique shop of quality items every day, with a view of young children attempting skating in the rink.

I would like to take this opportunity to formally invite you for a brief tour at my city's town center, so you could witness the beauty and uniqueness of it with your own.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Nishant Shrivastava

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You clearly stated your disagreement with the article, provided specific examples of how your town (Woolwich) differs from the norm, and included a polite invitation for a tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting ideas are fully developed; for instance, the description of the skating rink is good, but you could briefly explain why this makes the town centre more vibrant or culturally significant to further strengthen your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'I would like to take this opportunity', which help the flow of ideas. To improve, ensure that referencing is always clear; for example, in the second paragraph, the sentence starting with 'As, these buildings...' is a sentence fragment and lacks a clear connection to the previous sentence, which slightly disrupts the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'monotonous construction', 'makeshift stalls', and 'formally invite'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'demanding' (which does not fit the context of an unattractive place) and 'exiting' (which is a spelling error for 'exciting'). While you attempt some less common vocabulary, these occasional inaccuracies prevent a higher score. Focusing on precise collocations will help you achieve a more natural and sophisticated tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'the extreme similarities in the town centers' (should be 'the extreme similarity' or 'the extremely similar nature'), and 'one would always finds' (should be 'one would always find'). Additionally, the sentence 'As, these buildings make the place less attractive and demanding' is grammatically incomplete. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help improve your score in this criterion.

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

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