Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13

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 Editor,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the recent article published in the newspaper about the similarity of towns.

overall, I agree with some of the aspects of the article that due to industrial and technological developments, the towns look similar to each other. Every town now has large shopping malls, recreational centers, parks, hospitals and other public facility that contribute to their similarity.

However, my town has some of its unique features that stands out it different. My town has some ancient buildings which has its historical and spiritual significance and residents of our town still preserve them with great care. Apart from that, my town also has old type recreational places where elderly people often sit together and socialize with others.

I would like to offer a guided tour of my town to the writer of the article and would like to demonstrate the uniqueness of my town. This guided tour will help him to provide first- hand experience of my town uniqueness.

Thank you for your understanding. I appreciate your understanding for the future article.

Yours faithfully,

Harmeet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all bullet points outlined in the prompt. First, you identified points of agreement from the article, noting how industrial and technological developments make towns look similar through standard amenities like shopping malls and hospitals. Second, you explained how your town differs by highlighting ancient buildings of historical and spiritual significance and traditional recreational places for the elderly. Finally, you offered a guided tour to the writer of the article. Your position is clear throughout, and all parts of the task are well-covered with appropriate elaboration, fulfilling the requirements for Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised with a clear overarching progression from opening remarks and agreement, to differences, and finally to the invitation and closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the discussion of similarities versus the unique features of your town. Cohesive devices are employed adequately (e.g., 'Apart from that', 'However'), though referencing and transitions could be slightly more varied and seamless. Overall, the text demonstrates a clear structure that guides the reader naturally from start to finish, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for this task. Phrases like 'industrial and technological developments', 'spiritual significance', and 'first-hand experience' demonstrate a reasonable control of lexical features. However, there are some minor vocabulary and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'stands out it different' (instead of 'makes it stand out' or 'differs') and 'old type recreational places' (which could be expressed more naturally as 'traditional recreational spaces'). Despite these occasional errors, communication is never impeded, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which has its historical and spiritual significance') and conditional or temporal framing ('when elderly people often sit together'). There are some noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including 'overall, I agree with some of the aspects of the article that due to... towns look similar' and 'buildings which has' (subject-verb agreement error with plural 'buildings'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but capitalization errors are present ('overall'). Because errors occur in complex structures while simple sentences remain largely accurate, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

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

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