Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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 Rohan,

Firstly congratulations to getting into your dream

University and you will be getting to learn from the best professors. Talking about accommodation during my time I used to stay in rented appartment in sharing with my friends. I think that will be perfect for you also.

I suggest you to use Facebook marketplace to look for the house for rent apart from that you can also sites like realtor.ca , magicbricks.ca . But I think it will be best if u can find it through Facebook because it is usually reasonable there. On the sites I mentioned is also good but you will find little expensive houses.

And also make sure that the house you select should be neat and clean as I have seen students living in dirty houses as it’s rent is less. Other thing is make sure that it has no issue of bed bugs as it is very common here in Canada so make sure to look for that. Apart from that make sure to sign the lease for the house as I have seen students avoid that too.

I hope you will get a nice and clean accommodation.

Best Regards,

Avyakt Sethi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You described your past living situation, recommended specific platforms for finding accommodation, and provided relevant warnings regarding cleanliness, bed bugs, and lease agreements. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the 'why' behind your recommendations to provide more depth. For instance, explaining why Facebook Marketplace is more 'reasonable' would add value. Overall, the task is fully covered with a clear and consistent purpose throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on one of the required points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Apart from that', and 'Other thing is'. However, the flow is occasionally slightly mechanical, and some transitions could be smoother. For example, 'Other thing is make sure' is a bit informal and repetitive in its structure. Using a wider variety of linking words and improving the connection between sentences would enhance the overall flow. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different topics requested in the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, such as 'accommodation', 'reasonable', and 'lease'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and informal phrasing, such as 'in sharing with my friends' (should be 'shared with my friends') and 'it has no issue of bed bugs' (should be 'it is free from bed bugs'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of collocations would help you express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'congratulations to getting into' (should be 'on getting into'), 'I suggest you to use' (should be 'I suggest that you use'), and 'it’s rent is less' (should be 'its rent is lower'). Additionally, there are some punctuation and article errors throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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