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)

Dera Rose,

I am writing to suggest you accommodation near to the Algoma University, where I studied a year ago. The apartment distance is of15 mins from the university. It is at the Knightsbridge Road and the convenient place as the grocery stores, pharmacy, beauty salon and park is very nearby.

If you want to review more accommodations, you can use online platforms such as Market place from Facebook, Kijiji etcetera. Facebook is a one of the convenient and trustworthy apps, from where you can find place to live. Moreover, you can connect the university student council, who can help to find good and affordable place for you.

It will be my advice as to you openly talk with owner regarding rent payment , laundry and visitors because people face more problems due to this reason when they are living at rent.

I hope this suggestion will help you.

Thank you

Lily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You described your previous living situation, suggested online platforms and the student council for finding accommodation, and provided a warning regarding rental agreements. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the warning about rental agreements could be expanded with more specific examples of common pitfalls to better demonstrate your ability to provide advice. Overall, the response is relevant and covers all parts of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is organised into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'If you want to', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'It will be my advice as to you'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence. The paragraphing is appropriate for an informal email format.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'accommodation', 'trustworthy', and 'affordable'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'apartment distance is of 15 mins' (should be 'The apartment is a 15-minute walk away') and 'connect the university student council' (should be 'contact'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary usage. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more natural collocations and idiomatic expressions suitable for an informal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Dera Rose' (spelling), 'near to the Algoma University' (article usage), and 'people face more problems due to this reason when they are living at rent' (awkward phrasing). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and preposition errors throughout the text. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions in your writing.

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

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