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 Joban,

I am pleased to know that you have got the admission at the prestigious University of Toronto. I know you were trying for a while and I had told you to keep working hard.

When I was a student at university, I used to live in the apartments located directly opposite the gate 3. There is lot of other options available for accommodation in the nearby area as well, however, they are pretty much in good condition relatively to other accomodations availale near thomson park area. Moreover, they have all the amenities in the neighbouring shopping plaza, be it groceries or convenience stores. Most importantly,the nearest library is just 5 minute walk.

However, while checking for the rooms, be careful and make sure all the appliances are working properly, particularly the heating system because the winters in toronto are brutal and you cannot survive without it.

Hope you find the best accomodation

With love,

Amitoz Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response fully covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. You successfully described where you lived when you were a student, mentioning the apartments opposite gate 3 and highlighting their convenient proximity to amenities like the shopping plaza and library. Furthermore, you recommended the best way to look for accommodation by advising your friend to check specific features and options in the nearby area. Finally, you warned your friend about common mistakes, specifically emphasizing the importance of checking heating systems because of the brutal Toronto winters. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend, and all ideas are relevant and well-developed, earning a solid band score of 7.0 for fully addressing all parts of the task with clear ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The email is logically organized with a clear overall progression. You begin with an appropriate friendly greeting, move smoothly into describing your past accommodation, and then offer practical recommendations and warnings before closing. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different ideas, such as your living situation, local amenities, and the warning about heating systems. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, using words like 'moreover' and 'however' to connect ideas, although referencing and linking could be slightly more natural in places. Overall, the arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, justifying a band score of 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate and generally appropriate for a semi-formal or informal letter. You successfully use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'accommodation', 'amenities', and 'appliances'. However, there are a few minor spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'accomodations' and 'availale', as well as awkward phrasing like 'pretty much in good condition relatively to other accomodations'. While you attempt some less common lexical items, these minor inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching higher bands. The range is sufficient to communicate your message clearly, making a band 6.0 appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a reasonable mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'When I was a student at university, I used to live in the apartments located directly opposite the gate 3' and 'make sure all the appliances are working properly, particularly the heating system because the winters in toronto are brutal'. There are some grammatical errors, including missing articles ('got the admission', 'opposite the gate 3', 'is lot of other options'), punctuation issues, and capitalization oversights ('toronto'). Nevertheless, these errors do not impede communication, and many sentences remain accurate. This balanced performance corresponds to a band score of 6.0.

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

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