Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-23

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 Smith,

I hope you are doing well.

Congratulations, buddy, on getting accepted to the University of Alberta.

I am writing this letter to give advice on where to find a place to live. Do not worry at all.

I was living in an apartment with some students from my own university, and all of them were from our country, India. My apartment is located in the centre of Edmonton, where everything is within a 15-minute distance, for example, the grocery store, gas station, metro, and bus station.

At the movement I am living in a different city however, you do not have to worry for findings house to stay in. I am putting the Email address as well as the contact details of Sunrise Apartment below this letter. This is really beneficial to you, I think, because the rent will be the cheapest amount in the entire city.

Please look into this option, or if you want to look around some other place try to look for commuting facilities and the feasibility of local grocery stores such as Walmart, because in winter you will be in trouble. Numerous newcomers often want to live downtown, but the expenses will be very costly, and living there is not safe.

I hope you will look into this information seriously, inform me of what you have decided, and let me know if you have any questions.

Good luck,

Harshil Trivedi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You described your previous living situation, recommended a specific way to find accommodation, and provided a warning regarding the costs and safety of downtown living. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the 'why' behind your recommendations to provide more depth, but overall, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different requirements of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'for example', 'however', and 'because', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the connection between the recommendation of the 'Sunrise Apartment' and the general advice about commuting could be smoother. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'commuting facilities' and 'feasibility of local grocery stores' are well-chosen. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'At the movement' (should be 'At the moment') and 'findings house' (should be 'finding a house'). While you communicate effectively, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. Incorporating more precise collocations would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'my apartment is located' (should be 'was located' to match the past tense context) and 'the cheapest amount' (should be 'the lowest rent'). Punctuation is generally accurate, though some sentence boundaries could be improved for better flow. The errors present do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for more consistent control over tense consistency and article usage.

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

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