Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-24

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 Mahesh,

I'm glad to learn about the offter letter from the Waterloo University you recieved to study Biotechnology course in the coming fall semester. Just like how greatly I enjoyed studying my Masters in Communication, you will probably experience the same. I lived outside university housing association, i.e. leased an apartment room, becuase they were pretty mediocore to my living preference. However, I would suggest you to make a visit to the Waterloo city to get an idea for locality, as well your preference for commuting.

Although, the privately owned housing are generally safe and largely owned by the city residents as a form of passive income, make sure of their digital footprints to check their authencity. Quintessentially, use Facebook Marketplace to look upon while you are at your home. Additionally, make sure owners are verified, as there has been a growing concern of scamming new comers, particularly university students.

once you decide what kind of accommodation you would prefer, I will provide you contact details of university housing and a private apartment owner to talk with.

I'm excited to see you soon.

Your best friend,

Paresh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all bullet points required by the task prompt. You addressed where you lived when you were a student by mentioning that you 'leased an apartment room' outside of university housing. You also recommended the best way to look for accommodation, suggesting to 'use Facebook Marketplace to look upon while you are at your home' and making a visit to Waterloo city. Finally, you warned your friend of mistakes, specifically noting the 'growing concern of scamming new comers' and advising them to check digital footprints for authenticity. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend, and all parts of the prompt are well-developed and clearly communicated. Therefore, the task achievement is fully satisfied.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your letter has a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphs are used appropriately to separate different points, such as your past housing experience in the first paragraph, and warnings about scams in the second. Cohesive devices like 'Although', 'Additionally', and 'once you decide' are utilised to connect ideas effectively, though some transitions could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, and the natural flow of the letter ensures that the reader can easily follow your advice from start to finish. Minor mechanical lapses do not detract from the overall clarity of the communication.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to an informal email, successfully attempting less common items and phrases such as 'passive income', 'digital footprints', and 'authenticity'. However, there are some noticeable vocabulary and collocation errors, such as writing 'offer letter' as 'offter letter', 'recieved' (spelling), 'mediocore' (mediocre), 'authencity' (authenticity), and 'locality' where 'the local area' would be more natural. Despite these slips, your lexical resource is sufficient to convey your ideas clearly and demonstrates a flexible range appropriate for this task type.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You make use of a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses starting with 'Although' and conditional structures like 'once you decide what kind of accommodation you would prefer'. There are, however, several grammatical inaccuracies and preposition errors throughout the text, including 'offer letter from the Waterloo University you recieved to study Biotechnology course' (unnecessary articles and word order), 'I would suggest you to make a visit' (awkward infinitive structure after suggest), and 'scamming new comers' (newcomers as one word). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, and many sentences remain accurate.

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

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