Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-23

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 you this letter to lay my contradicting point of view relating to your news in the national newspaper, as it claims that all the town centers in my country looks very similar.

According to the article, I agree that the physical layout of most of the town centers in my country is similar and I also agree that town center is a place for everyone to enjoy and entertain themselves doing various activities.

Further distinguishing, the town that I live in is Scarborough, and the town center here is well equipped with alot of activities that we might not find in all the other town centers. One of the most sincere example, is that town center in Scarborough allows alot of household and small vendors to put up stalls in the center of the town center to help them grow with other large businesses, spreading awareness of these businesses existense.

This is only one aspect of our town center, I would personally like to guide you through our town center whenever you would have a little spare time and I am positive that it will change your point of view relating to the town centers being way too similar.

I am looking forward to your reply relating to the guided tour i mentioned.

Your sincerly,

Ayush Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state your disagreement with the article, provide a specific example of how Scarborough's town centre differs through its support for local vendors, and include a polite invitation for a guided tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are slightly more developed; for instance, you could elaborate on why the presence of small vendors creates a unique atmosphere compared to the 'standard' town centres mentioned in the article. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'According to the article' and 'Further distinguishing', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'contradicting point of view', 'physical layout', and 'distinguishing'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'sincere example' (should be 'clear example') and 'businesses existense' (spelling error). The repetition of 'town center' is noticeable; using synonyms like 'urban hub', 'local precinct', or 'community space' would improve the lexical variety. While communication is never impeded, the vocabulary is functional rather than sophisticated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement ('town centers... looks' instead of 'look') and article usage ('the town center in Scarborough' vs 'a town center'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and spelling errors, such as 'Your sincerly' and 'i' (lowercase). While these errors are frequent, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent capitalisation.

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

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