Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-27

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 Dev,

I hope you and your family are doing great! I'm happy to know that you got admission at Silver Oak University for Computer Science and I'm willing to share necessary information about the stay.

First off, during my time at University while doing Master's, I chose in-campus accommodation as the lecture were as early as 5 AM in the morning and since there are few options for transport I had no option than to choose the Univeristy accommodation.

I would recommend you to look marketplace options from where you can find accommodation nearby University as I've noticed there are new apartment constructions and will fit your budget while you're studying.

Additionally, while finalizing the accommodation I want you to thorough read the lease agreement and check for any gaps as alot of students face trouble when their lease agreement ends and also inspect the room and check for any issues to avoid leaving charges at the end of lease agreement.

Can't wait to see you soon! Drop me a line when you get a chance.

Best wishes,

Vipul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all bullet points of the General Training Task 1 prompt. You clearly described your past student accommodation (in-campus housing due to early 5 AM lectures and limited transport), recommended the best way to look for a place (marketplace options and new apartment constructions), and warned your friend about potential pitfalls (thoroughly reading lease agreements and inspecting rooms to avoid leaving charges). The tone is appropriately informal and friendly throughout. All parts of the task are well-developed and easy to follow, earning a solid band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The email is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle, and end, following a standard semi-formal/informal email structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, such as your past experience, recommendations, and warnings. Cohesive devices like 'First off', 'Additionally', and 'while' help guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel slightly mechanical, such as the transition into the third paragraph ('marketplace options from where you can find'). Nonetheless, the overall progression is clear and easy to follow, making this a clear Band 7 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using functional phrases like 'in-campus accommodation', 'lease agreement', and 'transport'. There are a few vocabulary and collocation slips, such as 'got admission' (instead of 'were admitted') and 'marketplace options', as well as minor phrasing awkwardness like 'thorough read' instead of 'thoroughly read'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, your vocabulary is adequate to convey your message clearly and appropriately for an informal letter to a friend, comfortably meeting the criteria for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You make use of a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses ('since there are few options for transport I had no option') and relative clauses ('options from where you can find accommodation'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions throughout the text, including 'lecture were' (subject-verb agreement), 'alot' (spelling/informality), and missing articles or prepositions in phrases like 'nearby University'. While these errors do not impede communication and the overall meaning remains clear, they prevent the grammar score from reaching higher bands.

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

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