Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Your friend has been offered a place on a course at the university where you studied. He/She would like your advice about finding a place to live.

Write an email to your friend. In your email

• describe where you lived when you were a student at the university
• recommend the best way for him/her to look for accommodation
• warn him/her of mistakes students make when choosing accommodation

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your email as follows:

Dear ..........,

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Dear Rahul,

I hope you are doing well . I am so happy to hear you got admission on university.

First of all, as I told you before, I completed my master's degree in Data Science last year. When I first arrived here, I was new to the city, so I paid a lot of money for rent. However, after three months, I found a shared apartment at a much lower cost, which helped me save a lot of money. I still have a good relationship with the landlord, so I can share his contact number with you. The apartment is close to the university and has good public transport connections. I think it would be a great and affordable option for you.

One important thing I want to tell you is that you should never pay a deposit without checking the accommodation first. I paid in first place this place not worth to live and landlord didn't return my money so be care full otherwise all are good .

I hope my advice will help you find a good place to live. Let me know if you need any more help. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!

Best wishes,

Nisarg

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points in a friendly, appropriate email. You describe your experience of initially paying high rent and later finding a cheaper shared apartment, and the landlord’s contact gives your recommendation a useful personal basis. You also warn Rahul not to pay a deposit before viewing a property. However, the advice on how to search is mostly implied by offering your landlord’s number; explain more directly how he can find options, such as checking university housing services or comparing listings. The warning is also based on one experience and could be clearer about other common pitfalls. The response is relevant and purposeful, but these points are not equally developed, which limits how fully the task is covered.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The email has a clear overall shape: an opening, a paragraph about your housing experience and recommendation, a warning, and a friendly closing. The sequence from your initial difficulty to finding a cheaper apartment is easy to follow, and phrases such as “However” and “One important thing” help signal shifts. The main weakness is that the warning paragraph becomes difficult to follow because several ideas are compressed into one sentence, with little punctuation or clear connection between them. The recommendation could also be separated more clearly from the account of your past experience. More controlled sentence boundaries and clearer links between advice and supporting details would make the progression smoother and less dependent on basic signposting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation and give practical advice, including “shared apartment,” “rent,” “deposit,” and “public transport connections.” These choices are relevant and generally understandable, and “affordable option” conveys your recommendation clearly. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural expressions that reduce precision, particularly “got admission on university,” “paid in first place,” and “care full.” The final warning also relies on broad wording such as “all are good,” which does not clearly express the risk you mean. Aim for more natural collocations and precise language when describing the search process and potential problems. This would build on an adequate range and make the email sound more fluent and assured.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled well, such as “When I first arrived here, I was new to the city, so I paid a lot of money for rent.” The sentence beginning “However, after three months” also combines time, contrast, and result effectively. Some grammatical errors remain, especially in the warning: “I paid in first place this place not worth to live and landlord didn't return my money” lacks clear clause structure and has problems with articles and verb forms. There are also smaller issues in “I am so happy to hear you got admission on university.” Review sentence boundaries and the grammatical patterns used after verbs and prepositions. More accurate control of these structures would make your advice easier to read.

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