Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-14

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)

Hello Darry,

How are you doing my dear friend. I am writing this mail in regard to your request to counsel you about getting a better location to reside at the university.

In all honesty, I stayed in two locations, but I would prefer you live in the last place I resided. Because in my first and second year I lived with my uncle who is working in the school. The road to the house is very rough so I had to move out a secure a mini- flat for myself which has a beautiful environment.

I would like to give you an advice in order to find a good place like mine. I want to recommend an estate agent for you which will help you secure a beautiful and a nice place. His name is Mr. Ade, you can reach him on this phone number [redacted phone] 88 552.

Moreover, please be warned not to use another agent I recommend for you. Because that is one of the mistakes most new student do make because they always fall into the hands of fake estate agents.

I look forward seeing you.

Your dear friend,

Tope.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all three bullet points of the task: describing your previous accommodation, recommending a way to find housing, and warning against common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the description of the 'mini-flat' is brief, and the warning about 'fake estate agents' is a bit vague. To improve, you could provide more specific details about the benefits of your flat or explain exactly what makes an agent 'fake' to better support your advice. Overall, the task is fulfilled, but the depth of information could be increased to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices like 'In all honesty,' 'Moreover,' and 'In order to,' which assist in linking ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'I am writing this mail in regard to your request to counsel you.' The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The structure is logical, but the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and sophisticated to improve the overall flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'reside,' 'accommodation,' and 'estate agent.' There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'counsel you' (which sounds overly formal/legalistic for a friend) and 'secure a mini-flat' (where 'rent' or 'find' might be more natural). You also use 'beautiful' twice in close proximity, which limits the variety of your language. To achieve a higher score, try to use more precise collocations and avoid repeating simple adjectives. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your message clearly, but it lacks the flexibility and precision of higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I look forward seeing you' (should be 'to seeing'), 'new student do make' (should be 'students make'), and 'an advice' (advice is uncountable). Additionally, 'I am writing this mail in regard to your request to counsel you' is slightly awkward. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Increasing your control over articles, subject-verb agreement, and prepositional phrases will help improve your score.

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

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