Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-06

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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to respond to an article that you published about my town's centres seeming similar to other town centers. Through this letter I would like to familiarise you with my town's unique beauty, making it different from other towns.

I would inform you that in my town there are plenty of eye-catching spots that you missed to mention in your article that make it different, especially a historical building and some traditional shops which represent my town's tradition and culture . Additionally, there are many local business shops which, no doubt, illustrate the main occupation of local people how they are surviving and there are several malls, restaurants, and chains of coffee shops whic make my towns traditional as well as modern.

If you are interested, I would be delighted to give a town tour so you can become familiar with my town's real beauty, which differentiates it from other towns and give you a new perspective about my town.

Yours faithfully,

Kiran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You respond to the article and make your disagreement apparent by describing features that you believe distinguish your town, including a historical building, traditional shops and local businesses. You also offer to give the writer a guided tour, so the main purpose of the letter is clear. However, the task is only partly fulfilled because you do not identify any specific points in the article that you agree with; instead, you mainly challenge its claim. The differences are also listed rather than explained with concrete examples, and the reference to malls and coffee chains does not clearly show how these make the town distinctive. State one point of agreement and develop two or three distinctive features with details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: you introduce your response, describe features of the town, and finish with an invitation to visit. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Additionally” and “If you are interested” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some features of stronger progression. However, the second paragraph contains several ideas in one long sentence, making the relationship between local businesses, occupations and chain stores difficult to follow. Some references, such as “which” in that sentence, are also unclear. Separate the examples into shorter sentences and use explicit links to show how each feature supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a formal letter, including phrases such as “familiarise you,” “eye-catching spots,” “traditional shops” and “new perspective.” These choices help communicate your purpose, and the meaning is generally clear. You also attempt less common expressions, although some are inaccurate or unnatural: “missed to mention” would be more naturally expressed as “did not mention,” while “make my towns traditional as well as modern” does not clearly convey the intended point. There are also spelling and form slips, including “whic” and “towns” where the possessive “town’s” is intended. Aim for precise collocations and check spelling and apostrophes during proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of sentence forms, including the purpose clause “so you can become familiar with my town’s real beauty” and a relative clause beginning “which differentiates it.” The main message remains understandable, and errors do not generally prevent communication. Some grammatical problems nevertheless reduce accuracy. For example, “illustrate the main occupation of local people how they are surviving” combines clauses without a clear grammatical link; “which differentiates it … and give you” also has inconsistent verb agreement. The opening uses “town’s centres,” although the intended reference appears to be the town centre. Break up the longer sentences, check that subjects and verbs agree, and ensure clauses are connected correctly.

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

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