Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-28

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 after reading an article in a national newspaper about the town centers of our country. according to your article all town centers looks the same. I personally do not fully agree with your opinion and I would like to invite you to my town to witness this.

In your article as you mentioned that same big brands are in all the town centers across the country which i can agree you with. Also I agree new infrastructure is taking over the old historical buildings in many towns are vanishing with time and new identical buildings are taking place.

In my town their are variety of things which makes it different from other towns in our country. As we still have the old railway station building with latest technology installed. Also 90% of the infrastructure is more than 150 years old, but it has all the latest trending brands here which are merged in the heritage of this town very beautifully.

I would like you to visit our town and I would personally give you a tour of my town to experience many differences yourself.

I hope you would accept my invitation and visit my town soon.

Yours Sincerely

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requirements and maintain a clear, courteous disagreement with the article. You acknowledge that national chains appear in many centres and that newer development can replace historic buildings, then contrast this with your town’s old railway station, historic infrastructure and modern brands. The invitation to visit and your offer to guide the writer are explicit. These relevant points give the letter a clear purpose and support your position. To make the ideas more fully developed, explain more precisely what makes the station distinctive or how the modern shops are integrated into the heritage setting; the claim that 90% of infrastructure is over 150 years old would also benefit from a concrete example. This would make the comparison more convincing and less general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: you introduce your response to the article, identify points of agreement, describe your town, and end with an invitation. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and phrases such as “Also” and “I would like” help signal the relationships between ideas. The organisation is easy to follow, but some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “In your article as you mentioned” is an awkward lead-in, while “Also I agree…” joins two related points without clearly showing their relationship. The description of the town also moves quickly from the railway station to the age of the infrastructure and then to brands. Use more varied linking and clearer references to make these transitions smoother and the progression more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a formal letter, including topic-specific expressions such as “historical buildings,” “infrastructure,” “railway station” and “heritage.” These help communicate the contrast between modern commercial development and your town’s older character. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “merged in the heritage,” though this collocation is not natural; “integrated into the town’s historic character” would be clearer. Other choices, including “latest trending brands” and “many differences,” are broad or imprecise, and “town centers” is inconsistent with the British spelling convention used elsewhere in the task. Aim for more precise collocations and specific descriptive vocabulary while retaining the appropriate formal tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the main message remains understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and control prevent the grammar from being consistently accurate. For example, “all town centers looks” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “In your article as you mentioned that…” is an incomplete or awkwardly constructed clause. In “Also I agree new infrastructure is taking over the old historical buildings in many towns are vanishing,” two sentence structures are combined without a clear grammatical link. There are also errors in “their are variety” and “which makes it different.” Practise building complex sentences around one clear main clause, then check agreement, articles and punctuation; this will improve accuracy without limiting your range.

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

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