Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-21

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 with regards to the recent article I read which was published by a national newspaper, stating some claims about the similarity in the appearance of town centres in my country. From my own perspective, I do not agree with this claims because those buildings consists of different designs and structure including colors which contradicts the information about town centres appearance in my country.

I agree with the section of the article which explains the quality of materials used in building the town centres, which was primarily setup for a long term purpose. Furthermore, the National newspaper also point out in the article that the building attracts tourists from around the globe, leading to additional revenue generation for nearby residents.

I think there are multiple ways and factors that distinguishes my country town centres from other nations own, such as background heritage illustrations on the buildings through sculptures, paintings and drawings. In addition, it also teaches and creates awareness of culture including historical backgrounds.

I would like to offer a guided tour to the writer of the article for educational purposes, where i will be giving out detailed information and interpretation of relevant symbols with the reasons some of the town centres in my country are built in unique way. I would be looking forward to your positive response.

Yours faithfully,

Abdul-raheem Abeeb

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task. You clearly state your position regarding the article, explain how your town is unique, and extend a polite invitation for a tour. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While you mention that your town uses sculptures and paintings to reflect heritage, this could be expanded with more concrete examples to make your argument more persuasive. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to an editor, though some of the phrasing is slightly repetitive. Overall, you have fulfilled the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'However' to link your ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between the second paragraph and the article's claims could be tighter. Nevertheless, the progression of ideas is clear throughout the letter, and the reader can easily follow your argument from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. You use some good collocations such as 'revenue generation' and 'educational purposes'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'this claims' (should be 'these claims') and 'consists of' (should be 'consist of'). You also rely on some fairly common vocabulary. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise or sophisticated synonyms for common words like 'different' or 'good'. Despite these minor issues, your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly without any significant strain on the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'those buildings consists' (subject-verb agreement error), 'the National newspaper also point out' (should be 'points out'), and 'the reasons some of the town centres in my country are built in unique way' (missing article 'a'). These errors are frequent but do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Your control of punctuation is generally good, and the letter follows a standard formal structure.

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.