Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22

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 Sarah,

I was delighted to hear that you have been selected for a course at the university where I have studied. I am sure that you will have wonderful experience there. I would be happy to suggest you a suitable accommodation.

when i were a student, I lived in the apartment about ten minute walk from the university. It was reasonably priced, and area was convenient because there were several grocery stores, restaurants and bus stops nearby.

Moreover, I would recommend looking for accommodation through the university's student housing office or online rental websites. students have social chat groups where you can find a different suitable options. The best way is to arrange a viewing before signing any legal lease documents because people can trap you by giving wrong information.

I hope you will find a comfortable place soon. Let me know if you need further assistance.

Yours Faithfully,

Gagandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described your past living situation, provided specific recommendations for finding housing, and included a relevant warning about potential scams. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the email is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the 'warning' section by providing a more specific example of a common mistake, such as transferring money before seeing a property, which would add more depth to your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'because' to link ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, there are some minor issues with referencing and punctuation, such as the inconsistent capitalization of 'students' and 'when i were'. Improving the variety of linking words would help the flow of the text feel more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'reasonably priced', 'convenient', and 'legal lease documents'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'suggest you a suitable accommodation' (should be 'suggest a suitable accommodation to you') and 'find a different suitable options' (should be 'find other suitable options'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from being considered flexible or precise. Focusing on correct article usage and pluralization will improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'when i were a student' (subject-verb agreement), 'the apartment' (missing article 'an'), and 'area was convenient' (missing article 'the'). Additionally, there are capitalization errors at the start of sentences. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall accuracy. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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

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