Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-13
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 Alex,
I hope you are doing well. I received your email and I am glad to know that you have been selected for a course in the same university from where I completed my studies. I will give you some quick advices regarding searching an accommodation.
When I used to study here, I paid an extra amount for an accommodation in the campus hostel but it's little expensive. If you can afford it then it will be highly easier. The other best way to find a place is to use applications like: Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. You will easily find rentals near the university.
In addition, be extra careful while choosing an accommodation. Students usually makes mistake by choosing houses where owners scam them by taking security amount in advance and gradually leaving them with no place to live. Just read the reviews given by other people below the adverts.
I wish you a great luck for starting this new journey. Just let me know if you need any help.
Kind regards,
Jasmeet Kaur
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| 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, recommended specific platforms for finding accommodation, and provided a relevant warning about potential scams. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, ensure that your advice is slightly more detailed; for example, you could have elaborated on why the campus hostel was expensive or provided a specific tip on how to verify a landlord's identity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each bullet point, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In addition' and 'The other best way' to transition between ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the progression between sentences is smoother. For instance, the transition between discussing the hostel and suggesting apps is a bit abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different requirements of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'accommodation', 'rentals', and 'adverts' correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'give you some quick advices' (advice is uncountable) and 'highly easier' (which is grammatically awkward). While you successfully communicate your message, the vocabulary is somewhat functional and lacks the more sophisticated or idiomatic expressions that would characterize a higher band. Focusing on collocations and the correct usage of uncountable nouns will help improve your score in this area.
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. For example, 'same university from where I completed' is slightly unnatural, 'it's little expensive' should be 'it's a little expensive', and 'Students usually makes mistake' contains a subject-verb agreement error. Additionally, 'I wish you a great luck' is incorrect as 'luck' is uncountable. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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