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 Sarah,

I hope you are doing well. Absolutely excited to hear that you got admission to La University. I am writing to share a piece of advice, as I have already lived in that area.

In 2021, I took Admission in Healthcare Administration a four year Bachelor degree. I used to live near the University a 15 minutes ride from bus. The place called Westmount has plenty of apartments for students.

I recommend to search on Facebook Market place, as it has many options for students. For instance if you are looking for Private or semi private room. The other option would be University Accommodation you just need to ask or college admin for university Accommodation. It would me more convenient and helpful.

Remember do not fall in trap of fake people, they often make false statements to give discounts to students. When they get their money they vanish. Please remember to check if Utilities are included in Rent. I would recommend to take accommodation with rent including utilities. Lastly make sure to check if public transport within your reach. it would be difficult in winter as its difficult to walk in side path due to snow.

Regards

Alice

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly describe your past living situation in Westmount, suggest using Facebook Marketplace and university housing, and provide a relevant warning about rental scams and utility costs. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the 'why' behind your recommendations or provide more specific details about the university accommodation process to fully develop your ideas. Overall, the task is addressed effectively and the purpose of the email is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized with clear paragraph breaks for each requirement. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'For instance' and 'Lastly', to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and some transitions could be smoother. For example, the jump between discussing Facebook Marketplace and university accommodation could be better linked. Additionally, the referencing is generally clear, though some sentence structures are slightly fragmented, which affects the overall fluidity of the text. Improving the use of linking words would enhance the logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'convenient', 'accommodation', and 'utilities'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'took Admission in' (should be 'enrolled in') and 'fall in trap' (should be 'fall into the trap'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. Attempting to use more varied collocations or idiomatic expressions appropriate for an informal email 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. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as '15 minutes ride from bus' (should be 'a 15-minute bus ride'), 'ask or college admin' (should be 'ask the college admin'), and 'public transport within your reach' (missing a verb, 'is within'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and missing articles. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article 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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