Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-06
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 Sakshi,
I hope you are doing well. It was lovely to hear back from you after such a long time. I am really glad that you asked for my advice regarding course you get enroll in my university.
To begin with, i strongly recommend you to take place to live near kennedy drive where i used to live. It is the closest location from university. Moreover, transportation is very convenient. In addition food plaza is also nearby. You can go out for meals as well as spend time in park.
I would say the best way to find place to live is market place and kijiji app. You will get a lot of options with different prices and utilities they provide. To be more specific, never trust online and give deposit, always visit the place and look by yourself, talk to the owner and then only decide.
Do keep me updated and ask anything if you need.
Yours lovingly,
Simran
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: describing your previous accommodation, recommending search methods, and providing a warning. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, while you mention the 'food plaza' and 'park', expanding slightly on why these features were beneficial would have provided a more comprehensive response. The advice regarding the 'market place' and 'kijiji' is relevant, and the warning about deposits is practical and well-integrated. Overall, the response covers the requirements effectively, though it could benefit from slightly more descriptive detail to fully flesh out the points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'In addition' to link your ideas. While these are functional, the flow is occasionally a bit mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. To reach a higher band, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences feels more natural rather than relying on a list-like structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'convenient', 'utilities', and 'deposit' correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'take place to live' (should be 'find a place to live') and 'get enroll' (should be 'enrolled'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the variety and precision of more advanced lexical choices. Expanding your range of collocations and ensuring accurate word forms would help improve your score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'regarding course you get enroll' (regarding the course you are enrolling in) and 'look by yourself' (look for yourself). Additionally, there are some punctuation and capitalization issues, such as the lowercase 'i' and missing articles before 'university' and 'park'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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