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 Darshak,

I hope all is well.

I am much happy hearing that the Toronto University has finally offered you an admission in your dream course.

The purpose of writing this letter is to advise or warn you about few things and accommodation is one of them.

Before I proceed, I would like to share my experience studying in the same university, and how and where I used to live. You may find it helpful in many ways.

As you know, I moved to Toronto for studies in 2022, and I have had a few bad experiences related the housing and accommodation which I do not want you to go through.

First thing first, around the university area rent for the houses is super high because students usually prefer to live close by university. Apart from this, when you will start living there, you may find many homeless and drugees in this area.

Therefore, I can advise if it is suitable and if you are willing to travel an hour for your classes, you can live in Mississauga. The city is not far from the college, and also very well structured with very good public transport facilities.

In addition, you could find a place to live very easily on Facebook marketplace or on any social media platform, and also in your budget as well.

However, I would advise you if you are planning to save money for your next year college fees, please do not sacrifice your privacy which I have seen many students are doing it.

I hope you may find this information informative, and may allow you to make better decision about your housing plans.

Thank you and have a pleasant day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. You described your past living situation, recommended Mississauga as a viable alternative, and provided a warning regarding privacy. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that your descriptions are slightly more detailed; for instance, when mentioning your past experience, you could have specified the type of accommodation (e.g., a shared house or dormitory) to provide more concrete advice. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets all requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email follows a logical progression, moving from the opening to the specific advice and warnings. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First thing first', 'Apart from this', and 'In addition' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the paragraphing is slightly inconsistent, with some very short paragraphs that could be better integrated. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the warning about privacy and the closing could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring more balanced paragraph structure would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accommodation', 'public transport facilities', and 'well structured'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'much happy' instead of 'very happy' and 'drugees' (a misspelling of 'drug users'). Additionally, 'Toronto University' is slightly unnatural; 'the University of Toronto' would be more standard. While you successfully convey your meaning, the vocabulary is somewhat functional. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and ensure accurate spelling of common terms to demonstrate a more sophisticated control of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'offered you an admission in your dream course' (should be 'to your dream course'), 'related the housing' (missing 'to'), and 'many students are doing it' (should be 'do'). Punctuation is generally functional, though some sentences are slightly clunky. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage will help you achieve greater accuracy in your writing.

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

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