Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31

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 6.0)

Dear Priya

I hope you're in the pink of health! Yesterday, I received your letter where you mentioned that you got the admission letter from the university where I was studied. And you're looking for a place to live near university.

First, When I was student I lived in a sharing apartments. We all were from the same university. Although, they are very comperative with each others. Secondly, I was walk-in distance from my university. I don't even neede bus to travel.

However, nowadays it is very easy to find a rented place. For instance, you can find it on Facebook Marketplace, Zumber-apartment finder and many more. This is the most simple way to find accommodation.

Last but not least, most students are making poor decision that they prefered far away apartment because they are much cheaper then the near ones but its consumes our most of time. Rather then this we can focuse on our studies which will be very good option for our studies.

With love,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: describing your past accommodation, recommending a search method, and warning against common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention Facebook Marketplace, you could have elaborated on why it is effective. Similarly, the warning about choosing distant apartments is clear, but the explanation regarding time consumption could be more detailed to fully satisfy the requirements of a Band 7 or higher. Overall, the response is relevant and covers the task requirements adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The email is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'Last but not least' to signal the progression of your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Rather then this we can focuse on our studies'. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, for example, in the sentence 'Although, they are very comperative with each others', it is not immediately clear who 'they' refers to. Improved sentence-level linking would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your ideas, including some idiomatic expressions like 'in the pink of health'. However, there are several errors in word choice and spelling that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'comperative' (competitive), 'neede' (needed), and 'focuse' (focus). Additionally, some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'making poor decision' instead of 'making a poor decision'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'where I was studied' (should be 'where I studied'), 'I was walk-in distance' (should be 'I was within walking distance'), and 'its consumes our most of time' (should be 'it consumes most of our time'). These errors are noticeable and sometimes impede the flow of reading, though they do not prevent the message from being understood. Increasing your control over verb tenses and prepositions will significantly improve your score.

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

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