Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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 Ma,

I am writing this letter to you about an article in your news paper, Vangard news in particular that I do not totally agree with. It was claimed that city centres in Nigeria all look similar is not true. Although It is true that there are similar features like buildings, street lights and bridges, there are many distinct differences.

For example, Abuja, the federal capital city, where I live has modern infrastructions and technologies. The state is fully planned and developed by Julius Berger construction company. It comprises of green areas for leisure activities, good road network, water parks,flyovers and lots of high rise buildings. Furthermore, there is a layout for residential buildings in Wuse Zone 1 and Night clubs in Wuse 2 District.

While there are some other amazing facilities, I would like to suggest you visit my city. I can always spare some free time to take you on a journey around this wonderful environment. Please do not worry about transportation and accomodation, I can take care of it.

Yours faithfully,

Odigie Ofure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The candidate has successfully covered all parts of the task. The letter opens appropriately and addresses the newspaper article by explicitly stating points of agreement, such as the presence of similar features like 'buildings, street lights and bridges'. Furthermore, the writer clearly explains ways in which their town centre, Abuja, is distinct by detailing modern infrastructure, green areas, and specific residential and entertainment zones. Finally, the response effectively offers a guided tour and covers logistical details like accommodation and transport. The tone is appropriate for a letter to the editor, and the position is clear throughout. The ideas are adequately supported with specific local references, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear overarching progression from introducing the critique, to providing specific examples of Abuja's uniqueness, and finally offering the tour. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the distinct points into clear paragraphs. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'Although', 'For example', and 'Furthermore'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or formulaic, as seen in the transition into the final paragraph ('While there are some other amazing facilities...'). Overall, the letter demonstrates a clear logical flow and structure that aligns well with the Band 7 descriptor for cohesion and paragraphing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some flexibility and precision, using terms like 'infrastructures', 'leisure activities', and 'high rise buildings'. There are some less common lexical items attempted, though with a few noticeable slips or unnatural collocations, such as 'modern infrastructures' (infrastructure is generally uncountable here) and 'news paper' (written as two words). Spelling and word choices are generally adequate and do not impede communication. The use of phrases like 'fully planned and developed' shows a good awareness of style, placing this firmly in the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, supported safely at Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses ('Although it is true that...', 'While there are some other...'). There are, however, some grammatical errors and punctuation slips present. For instance, the salutation contains a typo ('Dear Sir or Ma,'), and there is a comma splice and punctuation issue in 'It was claimed that city centres in Nigeria all look similar is not true'. Additionally, 'infrastructures' is pluralised incorrectly, and there is a punctuation error in 'It comprises of green areas'. Despite these errors, communication is never impeded, and the sentence structures demonstrate a good attempt at complexity.

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

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