Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-02

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 Gurjinder,

I was delighted to hear that have been offered a course at my old university. Congratulation, I am sure you will get a great success.

The place where I stayed , was actually a shared apartment . It was at 10 minutes walking distance from university and I never missed my classes even on a single day. Moreover, there are wide range of modern amenities such as library, medical facility, restaurants nearby. Prices were reasonable.

For finding accommodation, I would highly recommend to check on university's website as well as contact with university's accommodation office , they have reliable information regarding living services according to students' requirements.

Most importantly, simply do not choose a place for cheap. Many students overlook distance from university , transport cost and safety. Before payment check property's condition, read agreement carefully and see the accommodation in person.

I hope you will get a comfortable and affordable place soon. Let me know if need any more help.

Best wishes,

Harpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly described your previous living situation, provided a practical recommendation for finding housing, and offered relevant warnings about common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, meeting the requirements of the task effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that your opening and closing are slightly more polished, as there were minor grammatical slips in the introduction that slightly detracted from the professional yet friendly tone.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized with clear paragraphing, where each paragraph addresses a specific bullet point from the prompt. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'Most importantly' to link your thoughts. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and occasionally mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences feels more natural. The referencing is generally clear, and the overall structure supports the message well.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'modern amenities', 'reliable information', and 'affordable'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'get a great success' (should be 'achieve great success') and 'do not choose a place for cheap' (should be 'do not choose a place based solely on price'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate that your control over more sophisticated vocabulary is still developing. Expanding your range of collocations would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I was delighted to hear that have been offered' (missing subject 'you') and 'contact with university's accommodation office' (should be 'contact the university's...'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some inconsistent spaces before commas. The majority of your sentences are understandable, but the frequency of these minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will improve your accuracy.

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

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