Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-04

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 to you regarding the article I read recently in a national newspaper on the 5th of September 2026 stating that all town centres in my country look very similar to each which I do not fully agree with.

I would like to start with the other points that were stated on the 7th and 8th page of the article describing the art works and sculptures in every city including the historical interpretation of each figures. Several information about the artifacts and brown roof colors found in every city was also indicated in the article which is as a result of old rusted roofings that has lasted for many years.

However, it is important to note that every city in my country differentiated with their unique colors including the way artifacts and sculptures are created. this is as a result of the diverse culture and difference in tribes and their historical background. The architecture of houses and larger building structures are also different according to regions which contradicts the claims founded in the article.

I would like to offer a guided tour of my town in order to give more deep understanding of the specific difference in the overall appearance of the city and its architecture. Thank you so much and I look forward to your positive response.

Yours faithfully,

Abeeb Abdulraheem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. You clearly stated your disagreement with the article, explained how your town differs through its unique cultural and architectural background, and extended an invitation for a guided tour. Your tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To improve, ensure your arguments are more specific; for example, instead of mentioning 'artifacts' generally, you could describe a specific local landmark or style of architecture to make your argument more convincing and fully developed. Overall, the response is relevant and meets the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use paragraphing effectively to separate your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'Several information about the artifacts... was also indicated'. Additionally, some sentences lack smooth flow, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would help elevate your score. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, but the transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'interpretation', 'differentiated', and 'contradicts'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Several information' (which should be 'Some information' or 'A significant amount of information') and 'historical interpretation of each figures' (which should be 'each figure'). You also use 'brown roof colors' which is slightly unnatural. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that you use uncountable nouns correctly. Your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'all town centres... look very similar to each' (missing 'other'), 'each figures' (pluralization error), and 'claims founded in the article' (should be 'claims found'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic errors like pluralization and subject-verb agreement to improve your accuracy.

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

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