Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-05

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 Rahul,

I'm writing letter to recommend some places in close proximity to the university. When I was pursuing my Master's, I was living at Randolph Street which was just 10 minutes walk from the university. I was living in a 5 bedrooms apartment which I had shared with my friends.

For an accommodation, I would suggest to find in the Facebook market. In the search bar, type for the streets like Randolph, Rankin, and Campbell street. Those streets are close to the university and you could find newly renovated houses. As far for the rent concern, you could get affordable housing options since you will opt for the sharing option.

However, students often make mistakes while choosing the right accommodation. For instance, Please read lease agreement carefully before finalized the house. Furthermore, make sure the bugs free and the owner is regularly doing pest control. Also, don't forget to check for the nearest bus stop.

Please let me know if you need any further information.

Best Regards,

Ketul Patel

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 on Randolph Street, recommended using Facebook Marketplace, and provided relevant warnings regarding lease agreements and pest control. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, though they could be developed with slightly more detail to reach a higher band. For instance, explaining why the Facebook Marketplace is effective or providing a personal anecdote about a lease issue would strengthen the development of your ideas. Overall, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The email is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Furthermore', and 'However' to link ideas. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for an informal email. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the progression between sentences within paragraphs is smoother, as some sentences feel slightly disjointed, particularly in the final paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'close proximity', 'renovated', and 'lease agreement'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'type for the streets' (should be 'search for streets') and 'make sure the bugs free' (should be 'make sure it is bug-free'). These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a need for more precise control over common collocations. Expanding your vocabulary to include more idiomatic expressions or precise academic/formal terms would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use some complex forms, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I'm writing letter' (missing article), '10 minutes walk' (should be '10-minute walk'), and 'before finalized the house' (should be 'before finalizing'). Additionally, 'make sure the bugs free' is grammatically incorrect. These errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and consistent verb forms after prepositions.

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

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