Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-21

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 Sara,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am really very glad that you have been offered a place on a course at the Ghulam Ishaq Khan University. It is very prestigious and well known for engineering.

I would like to enthusiastically share with you my memorable experience at that place. Actually, I spent my four years of engineering there, the first year I spent in the student hostel, but from the second year we shifted to the nearby building that was at a stone's throw from university. Another benefit was the nearby markets. Therefore, I would recommend you to choose that building. It is a little expensive but if you consider commuting expenditure, you will find it appropriate.

Many students usually choose cheap accommodations that are far from the university and afterward they remain stressed due to transport problems.

I believe you will consider my suggestions. With best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Sobia.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all bullet points required by the prompt in a natural and friendly tone. First, the student describes where they lived as a student, mentioning living in the student hostel for the first year and then moving to a nearby building. Second, they recommend the best way to look for accommodation by suggesting the nearby building due to its proximity and convenience. Finally, they warn the friend of mistakes students make, specifically noting how choosing cheap, distant accommodation causes stress due to transport problems. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend, and all parts of the prompt are fully addressed with clear, relevant ideas. Therefore, this performance aligns well with Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email has a clear logical organization and progression throughout. The response opens with an appropriate salutation and warm opening, moves smoothly into the personal experience and accommodation recommendation, and finishes with a clear warning and closing sign-off. Cohesive devices such as 'Actually', 'Another benefit was', and 'Therefore' are used to connect ideas effectively, although paragraphing is a little compressed. The referencing of ideas and entities, such as 'that place' and 'that building', is clear and easy to follow. The overall progression of the email is logical, meeting the requirements for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision to complete the task. Expressions such as 'prestigious', 'enthusiastically share', 'commuting expenditure', and 'at a stone's throw' demonstrate an attempt to use less common lexical items with an awareness of style and collocation, although 'stone's throw' is slightly clunky in this exact context. There are some minor word choice limitations, such as 'shifted' instead of 'moved', but the vocabulary is adequate to convey precise meaning without impeding communication. This sits comfortably within the Band 6.5 to 7 range, rounding to a solid 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional forms such as 'if you consider commuting expenditure, you will find it appropriate.' There is good control over punctuation and basic grammar. While there are a few minor awkwardness issues and slight slips, such as 'the first year I spent in the student hostel' resulting in a slight structural imbalance, the majority of sentences are clear and error-free. The errors that do occur do not impede communication at all. This level of grammatical control corresponds to a Band 6.5 performance, showing solid competence with occasional limitations.

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

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