Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-12

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 this letter to express my views on your article about how all the town centres in our country look familiar to each other, with which I partially agree.

I have read your articles since I was in college from 2014 to 2017. Your way of writing has always impressed me in numerous ways. Whether the topic is about women's empowerment or how men contribute to society, your articles with facts have a greater impact on readers. However, I do not fully agree with your statement this time because the government took the initiative to make the town centres more attractive and different from each other. But some things are still similar, such as the size and look.

Our town centre is different from others because our minister of the area took the initiative in the assembly to present a request to change the town centres so that they would not look alike. The government permits residents to paint accordingly and add rooms if required. Other than that, most of the town centres in our area have their own public park.

I would like to invite you for a tour of our town centre, so that I can show you in detail and you can make the changes in your article to give readers a better idea.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Roopkamal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. The letter begins with an appropriate greeting and clearly states the parts of the article the writer agrees and disagrees with, satisfying the first requirement. The second bullet point is covered by explaining how the local minister requested changes and how residents are permitted to paint and alter buildings, alongside having a public park. The final bullet point is handled effectively by offering a guided tour of the town centre. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a newspaper editor. However, the explanation regarding the town's distinctiveness is slightly vague and could have been extended with more concrete local features. Overall, the task is fully covered, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised and progresses clearly from stating the purpose, through discussing the article's claims and local differences, to the final invitation. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Other than that', and 'so that' are used reasonably well, though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical, particularly in the second paragraph where the shift from past reading habits to the current article topic is a bit abrupt. Paragraph breaks are well-managed, and the overall structure is easy to follow, supporting a Band 6.5 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating personal opinions and local details. Phrases like 'women's empowerment', 'partially agree', and 'public park' demonstrate a sufficient lexical range. However, there are some awkward collocations and imprecise word choices, such as 'our minister of the area took the initiative' instead of 'our local representative', and 'paint accordingly'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited precision. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, placing the response securely in the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The candidate demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures successfully (e.g., 'I am writing this letter to express my views on your article about how all the town centres in our country look familiar to each other...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, and control of basic grammar is sound. However, some minor grammatical inaccuracies occur, such as using 'familiar' instead of 'similar' in the opening sentence, and slight awkwardness in preposition usage. Punctuation is generally accurate. Because complex structures are attempted with reasonable success despite occasional errors, a Band 6.5 is appropriate.

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

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