Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-15

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 in response to the article recently published in the national newspaper which claims that all town centers in my country look similar with no difference. I agree to the article to some extent because there are few things due to which my town center seems distinctive than others.

I agree that with an upgraded standards todays' building structure, shopping centers and restaurants and cafes' designs are much similar in most of the town centers.

However, my town center is quite different from the others because there is a beautiful historic temple which is a most peaceful place, local farmers' fields and their shops which helps to keep my town attractive and nature's part. Moreover, there is a riverside walkway as well where people come to relax in the evenings due to all these things my town looks different from most of the towns.

I would be delighted to offer the writer a guided tour in my town and explore all points of my town which makes it different from others.

I hope you will consider my town views in future edition.

Yours faithfully,

Anjali

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 partial agreement with the article, provided specific examples of what makes your town unique (the historic temple, farmers' fields, and the riverside walkway), and extended a polite invitation for a guided tour. Your position is consistent throughout the letter. To reach a higher band, ensure that your opening and closing statements are slightly more formal and better integrated into the overall tone of a letter to an editor. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, meeting the requirements of the prompt successfully.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the introduction to the agreement, then the specific differences, and finally the invitation. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these distinct ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'Moreover' to link your thoughts. However, the flow is occasionally slightly mechanical. For example, the sentence 'due to all these things my town looks different' is a bit clunky and could be improved with better transition words or punctuation to connect it more smoothly to the previous clause. Overall, the message is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'distinctive', 'upgraded standards', and 'historic temple'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'nature's part' (which is not a standard phrase) and 'my town views' (which should be 'my town's unique features'). While you successfully communicate your meaning, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing the town's characteristics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with apostrophes and pluralization, such as 'todays' building structure' (should be 'today's') and 'cafes' designs' (should be 'cafes' designs' or 'designs of cafes'). Additionally, some sentences are slightly run-on, such as the final sentence of the second paragraph, which lacks proper punctuation to separate the clauses. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and punctuation will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.