Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-03

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 Daman

How are you? It's been a long time since we caught up!

I have done my graduation from Punjab university Chandigarh in 2025. It has a strong academic reputation. This university also provide hostels for students who live far away from Chandigarh. I also lived in one of the hostel while graduation.

However, some students prefer flats in the city, but it will be very expensive in comparison to the hostel fee. I would highly recommend you to have a hostel in the university. You can contact the receptionist if you want to have one. They will help you in it.

Make sure you will buy a room for one person only as sometimes students find it difficult to share the room with another student. There is a lot of disturbance while studying and having some personal time.

I hope you will find a good one and let me know whenever you have some time to meet.

Take care

Navan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing your past accommodation, recommending a search method, and warning about common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the advice to 'contact the receptionist' is a bit vague, and the warning about room sharing could be expanded with more specific details to better help your friend. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are fully extended with more descriptive language or personal anecdotes that provide clearer guidance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The email is generally coherent, and the progression of ideas is logical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'However' and 'I hope' to link your thoughts. Paragraphing is present, though the structure could be improved by separating the three main points into distinct, well-developed paragraphs. Some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas more naturally, ensuring that each paragraph focuses clearly on one aspect of the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'academic reputation' and 'accommodation'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'I have done my graduation' is not natural; 'I graduated' or 'I completed my degree' would be better. Similarly, 'buy a room' is incorrect in the context of renting; 'rent' or 'book' would be more appropriate. While your meaning is always clear, the vocabulary remains somewhat basic and lacks the precision required for higher bands. Focus on learning common collocations related to housing and university life.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'This university also provide' (subject-verb agreement) and 'lived in one of the hostel' (pluralization). Additionally, 'Make sure you will buy' is slightly awkward; 'Make sure you book' or 'Ensure you book' would be more accurate. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, plural forms, and the correct use of modal verbs in advice-giving contexts.

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

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