Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-24

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,

While flicking the pages of your esteemed daily I read an article which claims that majority of town centres look identical in my country. I believe this information is not completely true because there are myriad difference between them.

Although I agree to a few points discussed in the article such as government building have similar architecture and design. Moreover, the bus stops in many cities also look alike as they have been built by same contractor.

However, my town centre has significant difference from other town centres. We have bicycling tracks in the city centre area to minimize the traffic. Additionally, there are statues of prominent personalities at several intersections. Furthermore, buildings in my town centre have solar panels to promote the renewable source of energy.

I would like to offer you a guided tour to my town centre. I am free on weekdays between 4 pm to 8 pm. You can choose any time between this. The tour will take an hour and I will also introduce you to some restaurants in the area.

Hoping for prompt consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Achin Pal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated your disagreement with the article, provided specific examples of how your town differs (bicycling tracks, statues, solar panels), and included the required offer for a guided tour. Your tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To reach a higher band, ensure your introduction is more cohesive; for instance, instead of saying 'majority of town centres', use 'the majority of town centres'. Your ideas are relevant and well-developed, meeting the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. You use transition signals such as 'Although', 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader through your arguments. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. For example, the second paragraph starts with 'Although' but lacks a main clause that fully contrasts with the following sentence. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring they connect sentences more naturally would enhance the overall flow. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'myriad', 'prominent personalities', and 'renewable source of energy'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'significant difference' (should be 'significant differences') and 'flicking the pages' (which is slightly informal for a letter to an editor). You have a sufficient range to convey your meaning clearly, but to achieve a higher band, you should aim for more precise collocations and a slightly more formal tone throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'government building have' (should be 'government buildings have') and 'built by same contractor' (should be 'built by the same contractor'). Additionally, 'between 4 pm to 8 pm' is incorrect; it should be 'between 4 pm and 8 pm'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading of basic subject-verb agreement and prepositional usage.

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

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