Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-21
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 Mohan,
I hope you are doing well. I has been ages since we last meet. I am very happy that you got an enrolment at the university. I would like to suggest you place, which is ideal for living as I used to live there during my college times.
As you know, I have completed my gradation last year, and I used to live in the place called Woodbridge. This place is in between the university and downtown of the city. This resident place has only 20 minute walk away from university. I think, this place may be better for you.
If you look on Facebook market place, It will be easy for you find place to live in this neighbourhood. There are many resident who would love to give room on rent to university pupils. You can also contact to rental companies who provide rooms on rent.
It is very difficult for student to made a good choice. Sometimes they choice accommodation which far from their college and they have to travel, which will not only waste their time but it also cost them financially.
I hope this ideas help to you find the good place to live,
Best regards,
Harshpreet
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described your previous living situation in Woodbridge, recommended Facebook Marketplace and rental companies, and provided a warning about the pitfalls of choosing accommodation too far from campus. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are developed with slightly more detail; for instance, explaining why Woodbridge was convenient beyond just the walking distance would add depth to your response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The email is logically organized with clear paragraphing, each focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'As you know', 'If you look', and 'Sometimes'. However, the flow between some sentences is slightly mechanical. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that referencing is always clear. For example, in the final paragraph, 'this ideas' should be 'these ideas' to maintain proper grammatical cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your ideas clearly. You use relevant terms like 'accommodation', 'neighbourhood', and 'rental companies'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'resident place' instead of 'residential area' and 'give room on rent' instead of 'rent out rooms'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. Expanding your range of collocations will help you achieve a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'I has been ages' (should be 'It has been'), 'last meet' (should be 'last met'), and 'student to made' (should be 'students to make'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency. Increasing the frequency of error-free sentences will be key to moving into the 7.0 band range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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