Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-27

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 Aman,

I am writing this letter to tell you about the accomodations available near by the university. I searched a lot when I was in university.

I decided to live near to all amenities and I finalized to live in a apartment with my classmate in downtown area. Everything is available at walking distance which helps me to save some money as well as travelling time.

The posts on marketplace would be the good option to find a place. Most of the owners negotiate in rent so I prefer to check first on it. Apart from that, advertisements are also posted by realtor on their website and they assist you to find a rental home.

Whenever you decide to finalize a place, make sure to pay rent by e transfer that gives you the proof. Also, you take a copy of agreement you sign. It is essential to keep in case you have any problem.

I believe this information aids you to find a perfect rental place. If you have any question, feel free to contact me.

Best Regards,

Prabhjot

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described your past living situation, recommended the use of online marketplaces, and provided a warning regarding payment methods and agreements. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. To improve, you could expand slightly on the 'warning' section by explaining why these specific mistakes are common or what the consequences might be, which would help in fully developing your ideas to a higher band level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The email is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Apart from that' and 'Also', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is clear, and the reader can easily follow your advice. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'it' in 'check first on it') is always precise to avoid any ambiguity.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'amenities', 'negotiate', and 'realtor'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'accomodations' (should be 'accommodation') and 'near by' (should be 'near'). Additionally, 'finalized to live' is not a natural collocation; 'decided to live' or 'settled on' would be better. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, increasing your use of less common collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'helps me to save' (should be 'helped me save' to maintain past tense consistency) and 'advertisements are also posted by realtor' (missing an article: 'a realtor'). Some phrasing is slightly awkward, such as 'I finalized to live in a apartment'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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