Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-06
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 Davy,
Hope you're in radiant health and high spirits. I'm glad to know that you've been selected for you're further studies at The University of Toronto, Canada.
Toronto is a very expensive and vibrant city in Ontario and the accommodation is not affordable for a person who has tight budget so I would like to suggest you living in North York, which is quite near and comes under the budget of students. This was the area where I used to live and go to the university by train.
While there are several ways to get the information about renting a place, I consider Facebook Marketplace is the best online platform, where you can have a look at the brief details, pictures, price of place and who is renting it. Since it is providing true information about homes so you search on it.
Students often rush to move into a new place despite checking, is it a close to public transport, superstore, and work because these facilities provide convenience and save your time.
I hope this information works for you. Best of luck for a new chapter!
Yours lovingly,
Harjit
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described your past living situation in North York, recommended Facebook Marketplace as a search tool, and provided a warning regarding the importance of checking proximity to amenities. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the 'warning' section by providing a specific example of a negative consequence, such as high commuting costs or isolation, which would further develop your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on one of the required points, which helps the reader follow your advice easily. You use some cohesive devices like 'While there are' and 'Since it is', though the flow could be improved with more varied transition words. Some sentences feel slightly disjointed, such as the transition between the city description and the recommendation. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for a semi-formal email, such as 'vibrant', 'convenience', and 'radiant health'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'get the information about' (better: 'find information about') and 'comes under the budget' (better: 'fits within the budget'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher level of sophistication. Using more precise collocations would enhance your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'you've been selected for you're further studies' (should be 'your') and 'is it a close to public transport' (should be 'whether it is close to'). Additionally, the sentence 'Since it is providing true information about homes so you search on it' is slightly awkward and contains a redundant 'so'. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the grammar does not hinder the reader's understanding.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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