Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-09

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 Sneha,

I am writing this letter to express my fantastic experience at the university. Further information regarding course and university will be explained in forthcoming paragraphs.

Firstly, congratulation to you that you have been offered a place on a course at the university where I studied. I lived in hostel which is far away from college. However, it has two bed with attach washroom individual. Also, there is one balcony. In front of the room, there is amazing garden in which they planted many flowers like roses.

I have seen one room, which located near university. So, you do not have to worry about transportation. I know the owner of that room. If you want to see or book that apartment room. You can contact me. I am willing to help you.

I want you to notify few things, that students make when choosing accommodation. First, you have to read all documents or paper before sign. Secondly, you should click some photographs of the apartment. That is one of the proof in case something happens in future.

All the best for you study.

Yours friend,

Jeh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points: describing your past accommodation, recommending a search method, and warning about common mistakes. However, the development is somewhat limited. The description of your past accommodation is brief, and the advice regarding mistakes is slightly generic. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details or personal anecdotes to flesh out your points. For example, when mentioning the 'mistakes' students make, you could explain why taking photos is important by describing a specific problem you or a friend faced with a landlord. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, though the opening is a bit formal.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The email is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'However', and 'Secondly'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt, such as the jump from describing your past room to offering a new one. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more clearly established. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the overall structure could benefit from more sophisticated signposting to improve the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'accommodation', 'transportation', and 'photographs'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'attach washroom individual' (should be 'an en-suite bathroom') and 'one of the proof' (should be 'proof'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and variety needed for a higher band. To improve, focus on learning common collocations related to housing and ensure you use nouns and adjectives in their correct forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('in hostel', 'near university'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence construction ('I want you to notify few things, that students make'). Some sentences are fragmented or awkward, such as 'I am writing this letter to express my fantastic experience'. To improve, focus on basic grammar rules like article usage and ensure your sentences are complete. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures will also help you achieve a higher score.

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

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