Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

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 Sarah,

I hope you are fine. It's been a long time since I last heard from you. I am pretty good despite of being very busy with work. I am writing to give you a piece of advice that you were asking in your last email regarding a place to stay during your studies.

First of all, I am very happy that you are awarded with scholarship in Kings University London. Undoubtedly, you are very talented candidate and deserve this privilage.

As far as accommodation is concerned, I recommend you the same place where I lived last year during my one year training program. It is an apartment located at Whilkey Station Road near to your University. My cousin is doing her Masters and currently living there as a tenant so, you can also share this flat with her. If you are comfortable to share the place with her then, I will talk to her on your behalf.

Moreover, one thing I would like to highlight here that you should choose a place that should be near your campus because there are some time when you have to take extra classes. Due to this reason, it would be feasible for you if you living place is not far from your institute.

I hope my email helps you to finalize a place to live. Best of luck for your next journey.

Thank you

Lots of love

XYZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described your previous living situation, recommended a specific way to find accommodation, and provided a warning regarding the importance of proximity to the campus. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the email is clear throughout. To improve, you could provide more specific details about the 'mistakes' students make, as the current warning is somewhat general. Expanding on the potential pitfalls of choosing accommodation—such as hidden costs or unreliable landlords—would further develop your ideas and demonstrate a higher level of task engagement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'Due to this reason' to connect your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition between the recommendation and the warning could be smoother. Paragraphing is used, but the structure could be more balanced to ensure each point is given equal weight. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'the place', 'her') is always precise will help you achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'accommodation', 'tenant', and 'feasible'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'awarded with scholarship' (should be 'awarded a scholarship') and 'living place' (should be 'living arrangement' or 'accommodation'). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and using more sophisticated synonyms for everyday words to add variety to your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'despite of being' (should be 'despite being' or 'in spite of being'), 'you are awarded' (should be 'you have been awarded'), and 'there are some time' (should be 'there are times'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a lack of consistent control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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