Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-09
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 Rajan,
Hope you are doing well. I am very glad to hear that you got an offer letter from Toronto University where I finished my graduation. It's a pleasure for me to guide you for your accommodation.
As I was not having my personal car at that time, I preferred to settle an apartment which was hardly on a 10 minutes of walk from the university. It was newly built apartment on Todd road and I shared it with an another student who was my classmate.
There are numerous ways to find a place to live, but I suggest you to find it through real stage agent as they are genuine and trustworthy.
Many of the students like to live in the crowdy areas which I will never suggest you because it may distracts you from your studies. Additionally, do not sign a lease more that six months. In case you don't like the property you can look for another after the end of the agreement.
I wish you a good luck for the new chapter of your life.
Yours sharing
Simarpreet
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully described your past living situation, recommended using a real estate agent, and provided a warning about choosing accommodation in crowded areas and signing long leases. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, explaining why a real estate agent is better than online platforms or detailing the specific benefits of the apartment you lived in would add depth to your response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph addresses a specific part of the task, which helps the reader follow your advice easily. You use some cohesive devices like 'Additionally' and 'In case', which help connect your ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to transition between sentences. The closing 'Yours sharing' is not a standard or natural sign-off for an email to a friend; 'Best wishes' or 'Warm regards' would be more appropriate.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'offer letter' and 'new chapter of your life' are used correctly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'real stage agent' (should be 'real estate agent') and 'crowdy areas' (should be 'crowded areas'). Additionally, 'settle an apartment' is not a natural collocation; 'rent an apartment' or 'find an apartment' would be more accurate. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations will help improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'I was not having my personal car' should be 'I did not have a car', and 'it may distracts you' should be 'it may distract you'. There is also a minor error in 'more that six months' (should be 'more than'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for more careful proofreading of basic verb forms and prepositions.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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