Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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 6.0)

Dear Smith,

I hope you are doing well. I'm thrilled to know that you've been accepted for a course in the same university where I studied. Since you asked, I'd love to guide you about finding a accommodation.

During my graduation, I rented an apartment in a residential complex, located on Davis road, Lahore. It was on a walking distance from my university and on top of that a bus stop was also situated near to it.

I recommend you to consult a private broker to find a better place because they are well aware of available options in the market. There are multiple offices on Davis road where they provide these services, but I recommend you Syed Brother Realtors because they offer discount for students.

I'd also warn you to avoid online websites for this purpose because information available on these sites is not authentic. These website are mostly run by scammers and they will take advance money from you a

Anyway, let me know if you have any further questions and please give my best to your family.

Keep in touch,

Adam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all bullet points required by the task prompt. You clearly described your former living arrangement, stating that you rented an apartment in a residential complex on Davis road in Lahore. You provided a helpful recommendation by suggesting the use of a private broker like Syed Brother Realtors and mentioned student discounts. Furthermore, you effectively warned your friend about the risks of using online websites due to potential scammers and inauthentic information. All parts of the task are addressed appropriately for a General Training Task 1 letter, and the tone is suitably friendly and informative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter is clearly structured with a logical progression of ideas, following standard email conventions from the greeting to the sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each main point, such as your past accommodation, broker recommendations, and warnings about online scams. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, for instance phrases like 'During my graduation', 'I recommend you to', and 'I'd also warn you'. However, paragraphing and referencing could be slightly more polished to achieve a higher band, and the abrupt cut-off at the end of the fourth paragraph disrupts the flow slightly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your ideas clearly and with some flexibility. Appropriate phrases like 'residential complex', 'consult a private broker', and 'inauthentic information' are used effectively. However, there are a few lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as writing 'finding a accommodation' instead of 'finding accommodation' and 'advance money' instead of 'deposits' or 'upfront payment'. Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Since you asked, I'd love to guide you...' and 'There are multiple offices on Davis road where they provide these services...'. There are several grammatical errors present, including the missing article in 'for a course in the same university' (should be 'at the same university'), 'finding a accommodation' (uncountable noun error), and 'on a walking distance' (should be 'within walking distance'). Additionally, the response cuts off mid-sentence at the end ('take advance money from you a'). These errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

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

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