Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-15
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 Manan,
It's been a while since we met last time in Mumbai. Many congratulations to you for seeking an admission into Concordia University at Montreal. I am writing you to give the details about how you can find best accommodation nearby.
I was staying near the Queen Mary street where majority of a students stay which is beside the university. Here you will find nearby grocery shops, cafe, gym and gymnasium.
I will recommend you to search online for an apartments either on Kijiji mobile application, or on the website Facebook marketplace. You will also able to get room within your budget by filtering rent.
However, make sure not to get caught by some frauds during you online search. They lists best home at the cheapest price, so be aware of them. I have already been experienced one.
In the end, It will be your life's incredible experience to study at this university. Also, you may give me an immediate call if you need any help. Wishing you the best for your new journey.
With lots of love,
Akshay
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly described your past living situation near Queen Mary Street, provided specific recommendations for finding housing via Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace, and included a relevant warning about online scams. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail about the specific benefits of the area you lived in to further extend your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each bullet point, and a concluding paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'In the end' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as 'I have already been experienced one', where the pronoun 'one' does not clearly refer back to a specific noun phrase. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the email.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'accommodation', 'budget', and 'frauds'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'seeking an admission' (should be 'gaining admission' or 'being accepted') and 'I have already been experienced one' (should be 'I have already experienced one'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and common English collocations to reach a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a students', 'an apartments') and verb forms ('They lists', 'You will also able to'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of articles. Incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy would also help elevate your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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