Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-16

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. Yesterday, I received your letter, and it is good to hear that you got enrolled in my university for upcoming semester. I am so excited that we are going to meet after so long.

Currently, I am leaving nearby my university. It is a condo building near square one, Toronto. It took me only 10 minutes to reach at university. Moreover, I choose this location because it is easily accessible for university as well as my work site.

I would like to suggest you that it will be fun if you could share room with me, and You don't need to worry about job. I assure you that i will secure one position for you at my work place.

Lastly, I suggest to do not try to figure out accommodation from marketplace, there are many frauds are active on that platforms. A few of my university students already lost their money over there.

Let me know what you think. Waiting for your response.

Love

James

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You described your current living situation, recommended a way to find accommodation, and provided a warning about potential scams. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the warning about scams is brief, and the description of your own living situation could be more detailed to provide better context for your friend. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more descriptive language or specific advice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Lastly', and 'However' to link your points. Paragraphing is used, though the structure could be improved by separating the greeting and closing more clearly from the body paragraphs. Some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between the offer to share a room and the warning about scams is a bit abrupt. Overall, the message is easy to follow, and the relationship between ideas is generally clear.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'accessible', 'enrolled', and 'accommodation'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'leaving' instead of 'living' and 'at university' instead of 'the university'. Additionally, 'marketplace' is used in a slightly unnatural way in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the variety and precision required for a higher band score. Focusing on collocations and more natural phrasing will help improve this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am leaving nearby my university' (should be 'living near'), 'reach at university' (should be 'reach the university'), and 'I suggest to do not try' (should be 'I suggest not trying'). These errors are frequent but do not impede communication. To improve, pay closer attention to verb patterns (e.g., 'suggest doing' vs 'suggest to do') and preposition usage. Increasing the variety of error-free complex sentences would also help boost your score.

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

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