Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-17

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 hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter with regard to an article which was released last week in a national newspaper.

I read that article on the newspaper twice, I really liked the way you written about town centres, and about the shopping malls located there, then how everything is popular among people, and also I enjoyed the way you written everything in a fun tone.

But I was disappointed with one claim that you said every town centres are looking similar to each other. But every town centre has its unique features like town centre in downtown feels like a historic place, like it has traditional shops and a big ancient fountain, meanwhile in midtown it has many modern buildings with contemporary architectural style.

If you are interested, I would like to give you a guided tour, we can explore many places in the town also we will visit some historic sites which will help you to write an article about it.

I look forward to hearing from you, Thank you

Yours Respectfully

Sathya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task. You successfully identified aspects of the article you liked, provided specific examples of how your town differs from the author's claim (mentioning the historic downtown and modern midtown), and extended an invitation for a tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, you could provide more vivid descriptions of the 'unique features' or explain why the author's generalisation is specifically flawed in a more sophisticated manner. The response is clear and maintains a consistent position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the introduction to the critique and finally the invitation. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'but', 'meanwhile', and 'if you are interested'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the second paragraph is a long, run-on sentence structure that could be improved with better punctuation or more varied linking words. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the agreement and the disagreement could be smoother to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'contemporary architectural style' and 'unique features'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'I read that article on the newspaper' (should be 'in') and 'you written' (should be 'you wrote'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You tend to repeat simple verbs like 'written' and 'look'. Expanding your repertoire to include more sophisticated synonyms would significantly enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'every town centres are looking' (subject-verb agreement error: 'every town centre looks'), 'the way you written' (incorrect verb form), and 'town centre in downtown' (missing articles). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct tense usage, and the proper use of articles. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher band.

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

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