Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Raman,

I hope you are doing splendidly well! I just came to know that you have been taking place on a course where I have completed my studies, that university is best place for a person to achieve their career goal. However, I would like to give to advice on choosing a place for accommodation before enrollment.

Primarily, when I was living with my classmates in a basement which was on a walking distance from the university. Consequently, this would allowed me to save time as well as money on travelling. Therefore, I would suggest you to look for any apartment or basement near to the university and in sharing with your friend, by this you could be able to minimize some expenses on rent.

Despite this, the one mistake that I want to highlight which I did during choosing the house is the lease. Before finalizing any place I would recommend to go through every information mentioned in lease, so that in future would not face problem. I hope you will consider my suggestion and make a better decision.

All the best.

Best Regards,

Komal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You described your past living situation in a basement, recommended looking for shared accommodation near the university, and provided a warning regarding the importance of reading the lease agreement. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the email is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, you could explain why the lease is so critical by mentioning specific potential issues like hidden costs or maintenance responsibilities. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'Primarily', 'Consequently', and 'Despite this' to link your ideas. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or are used with minor grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'Despite this' to introduce a warning, which is not the most natural choice in this context. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different points, which helps the reader follow your advice easily. The progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enrollment', 'accommodation', and 'finalizing'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'taking place on a course' (should be 'enrolled in a course') and 'on a walking distance' (should be 'within walking distance'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical slips throughout the text, such as 'this would allowed me' (should be 'this allowed me') and 'by this you could be able to' (should be 'this will enable you to'). Additionally, there are minor issues with articles and prepositions, such as 'in a basement' (should be 'in a basement apartment') and 'in future would not face problem' (should be 'in the future you will not face problems'). While these errors are frequent, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message.

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

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