Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-15

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 am very happy to hear taht you have been offered a place at our old university. I remember living in a small shared apartment near the campus when i was student. It was simple but It was comfortable and close to my classes. There were shops, bus stand, and a quite library near.

Furthermore, I recommend looking for accomodation through the university website, student group and local rental websites. You can also contact the student accommodation offfice because they often know about available rooms. Sharing a house with other students is usallu cheaper and a good way to make friends.

Moreover, Please be careful when choosing a palce. Visit it before paying any money, check the rent and bills, and read the agreement carefully. Also, ask about safety, internetservice, transport.

Take your time.

I hope you find a good palce soon. best of luck.

Best regards,

Nitin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student has successfully addressed all three bullet points required in the task instructions. Firstly, the email clearly describes where the writer lived as a student, mentioning a small shared apartment near the campus that was comfortable and close to classes. Secondly, the response recommends practical ways to look for accommodation, including the university website, student groups, and the student accommodation office. Finally, the text effectively warns the friend of common mistakes, such as paying money without visiting the place first, ignoring bills, and failing to check the agreement. The tone is appropriately friendly and informal, perfectly fitting a General Training task 1 email to a friend. All requirements of the prompt are fully covered and well-developed, demonstrating a clear understanding of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The paragraphs are organised by topic, moving naturally from a personal anecdote to recommendations, and finally to warnings and closing remarks. The writer employs standard cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'Also' to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing (such as 'It was comfortable' and 'Visit it') is generally clear and easy to follow. While cohesion could be slightly more fluid to reach the highest bands, the overall structure allows the reader to follow the email effortlessly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an informal email to a friend. Phrases such as 'shared apartment', 'student accommodation office', and 'read the agreement carefully' demonstrate good functional control. However, there are some spelling errors, such as 'taht' for that, 'student' used instead of 'a student' in the first paragraph, 'accomodation' (accommodation), 'offffice' (office), 'usallu' (usually), 'palce' (place), and 'internetservice' (internet service). Additionally, some vocabulary choices are a bit repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'place'. Despite these errors and limitations, the range is sufficient for the task and communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating decent control over basic grammar. Examples include 'I am very happy to hear that you have been offered a place...' and 'Sharing a house with other students is usually cheaper and a good way to make friends.' There are some minor grammatical errors and punctuation slips, such as missing capitalisation ('i was student', 'It was simple but It was comfortable'), lowercase letters at the start of sentences ('best of luck'), and spelling-related slips. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the majority of simple sentences are accurate, while complex structures are attempted with reasonable success.

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

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