Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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

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 am writing to say that I do not fully agree with an article showing the statement that city centers look similar.

From the article, I agree that big cities have similar town centers because they likely have common facilities such as advanced transportation, luxury shopping malls, and high-rise buildings. But all of them also have the same noise pollution issue due to traffic and the highest crime rates.

Fortunately, my town center looks very different from others in our country. Even though most of the centers are very crowded and full of traffic due to overpopulation, mine is peaceful, with fewer people and clear roads. Apart from that, People who live here also feel safe because it has the lowest crime rates and strict laws.

I request that you visit my town center so you can see how it was built constructively to avoid traffic. Besides that. It has various parks and a natural environment on the seashore where you can sit and enjoy leisure time with family.

I am waiting to hear a positive response from you.

Yours faithfully,

Ravi Prajapati.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state your partial disagreement with the article, provide specific reasons why your town is unique (peaceful, low crime, natural environment), and extend a polite invitation for a tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To reach a higher band, you could develop the ideas further by providing more vivid descriptions of the town's unique features, such as specific architectural styles or community events, rather than just listing general attributes like 'parks' or 'clear roads'. The position is consistent throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Fortunately', 'Apart from that', and 'Besides that' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be more sophisticated to better connect the contrast between city centers and your town.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'noise pollution', 'overpopulation', and 'constructively'. The language is generally natural and conveys your meaning clearly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'showing the statement' instead of 'expressing the view' or 'it was built constructively', which is slightly unnatural in this context. To achieve a higher score, aim to incorporate more precise collocations and less common vocabulary related to urban planning or town characteristics to show a greater degree of flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your meaning is always clear. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as the sentence fragment 'Besides that.' and the capitalization of 'People' in the middle of a sentence. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, focus on ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly and that subject-verb agreement is consistent. Increasing the variety of your sentence structures—such as using more conditional or passive constructions—would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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