Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-14
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 Friend,
I'm writing regarding the advice about finding a place to live because you are going to study at the university where I studied.
I used to live near Lawrene and Centennial road when I was a student at the university because the college was just 15 minutes walk from the home. There were many grocery stores near the location like, Walmart and Food basics. Additionally, I used to work part time while studying so I had to commute a lot, so bus facility is also great in the area and other amenities like gym were also near by.
I suggest the best way to look for accommodation is online on facebook marketplace, or try joining some college community groups.
I also want to warn you about some mistakes other students make when choosing accomodation are they don't check for insects infestation. One on the main mistake is they don't clarify the terms of leaving the apartment and they end up loosing their last month deposit. You also need to be aware of scammers when you are seeing an apartment online, so I suggest you should personally go and visit the apartment once before finalizing it.
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 student successfully covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. First, the writer describes where they lived when they were a student near Lawrene and Centennial road, mentioning the convenient 15-minute walking distance and nearby grocery stores. Second, they clearly recommend searching online through Facebook marketplace and college community groups. Third, they provide useful warnings about common mistakes, such as failing to check for insect infestations and not clarifying lease terms, which leads to lost deposits. All parts of the task are well-addressed with relevant and appropriate ideas, fitting the requirements for a Band 7 performance under this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email has a clear overall progression and logical organisation. The writer uses standard paragraphing to separate different topics, moving from personal experience to recommendations and finally to warnings. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'First', and 'I also want to warn you' are used to connect ideas, although some referencing is slightly repetitive. The transition between sentences is generally smooth, ensuring that the reader can easily follow the advice being given. Paragraphing is used appropriately throughout, supporting a Band 7 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'commute', 'amenities', 'scammers', and 'deposit'. There are some minor lexical inaccuracies and spelling errors, such as 'Lawrene' instead of Lawrence, 'insect infestation' rather than insect infestations, and 'loosing' instead of losing. However, these errors do not impede communication. The use of less common items shows an awareness of style appropriate for a general correspondence, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I used to live near Lawrene and Centennial road when I was a student... because the college was just 15 minutes walk from the home.' There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including 'the advice about finding a place to live' and 'One on the main mistake'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur, they rarely impede communication. The control of grammar corresponds to a solid Band 6 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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