Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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)

Hi James,

I hope you are good in spirits. I got your email about residence that you are currently looking for. Firstly, I want to apologize not to stay in contact constantly as my job is seriously killing me. Anyways, I would try to help you to find a suitable location which would be near to university along with other facilities.

I used to live in downtown, Moncton while studying at the university and I chose this place because all apartments are spacious and comfortable. Most importantly, they all are at reasonable price where your monthly rent would be around $500 including utilities.

Now, I would explain the procedure of getting it. First of all, you should have a job letter for almost six months. Secondly, your credit score must be above 735 which helps you to sign a lease easily. At last, they might ask for reference.

Before signing contract, you need to look for all information carefully, especially the duration of the contract because you have to sign lease according to your university years.

I hope you will follow my instructions and will get a good apartment promptly.

See you soon,

Manpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You described your previous living situation in Moncton, recommended a process for finding accommodation, and provided a warning regarding contract duration. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. To reach a higher band, ensure that your advice is more specific to the 'best way' to look for accommodation, as your current response focuses more on the requirements for signing a lease (credit scores and job letters) rather than the search process itself (e.g., websites, student forums, or local agencies).

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The email is logically organized with clear paragraph breaks for each point. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Most importantly', and 'Now', which help the reader follow your train of thought. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly abrupt, such as 'Now, I would explain the procedure'. Improving the flow between sentences by using more varied linking phrases would enhance the overall cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'residence', 'suitable', 'utilities', and 'lease'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'I hope you are good in spirits' (which is not a standard English idiom) and 'I want to apologize not to stay in contact' (should be 'for not staying'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I would try to help you to find' (should be 'help you find'), 'near to university' (should be 'near the university'), and 'at reasonable price' (should be 'at a reasonable price'). Additionally, 'I apologize not to stay' is grammatically incorrect. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on articles and preposition usage to improve accuracy.

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

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