Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-05

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 Amna,

I hope you are doing well. I was so happy to learn that you've been offered a place on a course at the same university where I studied. I'm writing to advice you about how to find a place to live during your course.

I was fortunate enough to get a room in the unversity's official hostel. It's given on priority basis to those candidates who have been awarded a scholarship by the university. The room was furnished and it had all the basic necessities, such as TV, fridge, and air conditioner.

If you've not received a scholarship then the best place to look for accomodation is in the Ridgeway apartments which offer single bedrooms at affordable rents. Moreover, these apartments are located in the street next to the university so, you'll not have any diificulty commuting.

I'd want to warn you against certain scammers. These people often stand outside the university and ask students to pay them a certain amount of money so that they can arrange accomodation for them. Please beware of them as they will take your money and vanish. I hope you'll consider my advice.

I wish you all the very best.

Your friend,

Sara

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt in a natural email format, taking into account the nine words copied from the prompt instructions. You clearly addressed the first bullet point by describing your stay in the university's official hostel, tackled the second bullet point by recommending the Ridgeway apartments as an alternative, and fulfilled the final bullet point by warning Amna about scammers. Your position and purpose are clear throughout the letter. To move up to a higher band, some of the ideas could be extended further with more detailed elaboration, such as providing deeper context about why certain housing options are more suitable or expanding slightly on the specific nature of the housing market around the university.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your letter demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the warm opening and personal background to housing recommendations, followed by the warning about fraudsters, and concluding with a polite sign-off. You use suitable cohesive devices and referencing markers, such as 'Moreover' and 'These people', to connect your ideas effectively, though a slightly more flexible use of transitions could enhance the flow further. Paragraphing is handled well, ensuring that the reader can easily follow the sequence of advice you are offering your friend.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a general correspondence task, using functional phrases like 'affordable rents', 'priority basis', and 'basic necessities'. You attempt some less common lexical items, but there are a few spelling and word-choice inaccuracies, such as writing 'advice' instead of the verb 'advise', misspelling 'unversity' and 'accomodation', and using the slight lexical slip 'diificulty'. These errors do not impede communication, but eliminating them and incorporating more precise idiomatic language or sophisticated collocations would help lift your lexical score significantly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

Your writing shows a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures like 'If you've not received a scholarship then the best place...'. There is good control over grammar and punctuation for the most part, but a few minor errors persist, such as the tense usage in 'It's given on priority basis' and unnecessary comma usage in clauses like 'university so, you'll not have'. You achieve a solid control of sentence structures, and while errors occur, they rarely impede understanding. To reach the next level, you should aim for a higher frequency of error-free complex sentences and finer precision in prepositions and articles.

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