Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-10

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 Thomas,

Congratulations on being selected into the course, I am very glad to know that you finally made it and wish you the very best for what lies ahead.

During my time at the University I initially started with the provided hostel which cost me around 250€ per month. it was overall a good place to start and get to know the surroundings here then I made some friends and shifted with them to an independent rented apartment.I would suggest you to gather some information on whether the facility is still available for freshers atleast in the initial period and then if it isnt, i would like you to checkout the findaccomodation.com website to get some help it contains genuine people in search of a roommate and is available in real time, though I would advise you to stay away from scammers as many people look in constant search of doping new people especially whom they regard as newbies in the place

I wish you luck with the present task and am just a ring away if you need any help

Regards

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that you first lived in university accommodation and later shared a rented apartment, suggest checking whether the hostel is available and using a website, and warn about scammers. These details make the advice relevant and personal. However, some parts are less fully developed than others. The description of your student housing is brief, and the warning focuses on scams without explaining other common selection mistakes, such as failing to inspect a property or clarify costs and contract terms. The website recommendation would also be more useful with a clearer explanation of how to assess listings and contact potential housemates safely. Developing these points would make the email more complete and helpful.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The message follows a generally sensible order: congratulations, your own housing experience, advice, and a friendly closing. This gives the reader a clear overall path through the email, and the personal account leads naturally into your recommendation. However, most of the central information is packed into one long paragraph, with several ideas joined together, so the advice is harder to scan. The transition from checking university accommodation to using the website could be made clearer by separating these into steps or paragraphs. Some linking is also awkward, particularly the long sentence beginning “I would suggest you to gather some information.” Use paragraph breaks and simpler transitions such as “If it is unavailable, then…” to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a friendly email, including “provided hostel,” “independent rented apartment,” “freshers,” and “scammers.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally appropriate for writing to a friend. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “selected into the course” is not the usual phrasing, and “doping new people” does not convey the intended meaning. There are also spelling and form errors in “atleast,” “isnt,” and “accomodation.” Choose familiar, accurate collocations and check spelling carefully; this will make your advice sound more natural without requiring more complicated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence that links your initial hostel stay with your later move into an apartment. The main meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors reduce control. For example, “Congratulations on being selected into the course, I am very glad…” joins two complete clauses with only a comma. In “the University I initially started with the provided hostel,” the sentence structure is awkward, and “it was overall a good place… then I made some friends” needs clearer punctuation or a conjunction. Capitalisation and apostrophes are also inconsistent, as in “it” after a full stop and “isnt.” Break long sentences into shorter units and check clause boundaries, verb forms, and punctuation.

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