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 Smit,

I hope you are doing well. It was nice to hear that you are coming for study at well-known university. I can certainly help you with the finding a good accommodation.

During my study time, I was lived in the apartment which was approximately 5 minutes walking distance to the university. It was a great experience living there as majority of people living in the building were family and they were supported me a lot and they took care of me like a family member.

I recommend that you can visit apartments by walking which is closer to the university compared to finding online accommodation. Additionally, while choosing apartments, please make sure that apartments is renovated and easily accessible to the university during various seasons should be your first choice.

When you will sign the lease, I would advice you to take complete time to read it before finalize it. Moreover, If you have any question regarding anything in the building, it is important to clarify with landowner in advance as it will cause inconvenience thereafter.

I hope my suggestions could help you finding the accommodation. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Sameer

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response effectively covers all parts of the task by describing where the writer lived as a student, recommending the best way to look for accommodation, and warning about common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend. The ideas are generally clear and supported, such as describing the five-minute walking distance and the helpful family neighbours. However, some aspects feel slightly generalized or under-developed, such as the specific advice on walking around to find apartments instead of using online platforms, which prevents the response from reaching a higher level. The message is fully conveyed and addresses all prompt bullet points satisfactorily.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

There is a clear logical organisation and progression throughout the email. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the greeting and introduction to past experiences, recommendations, warnings, and a polite closing. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and 'while choosing' are used to connect ideas, though they occasionally feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to structure the letter, and referencing between sentences remains clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as 'family member', 'easily accessible', and 'inconvenience'. However, there are some noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'coming for study at well-known university' (missing articles and awkward phrasing) and 'landowner' instead of 'landlord'. Spelling is generally accurate, but these occasional inaccuracies in lexical selection and collocation keep the response at this level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are several grammatical errors present, such as 'I was lived' (incorrect passive/active mix), 'majority of people... were supported me' (incorrect voice), 'apartments is renovated' (subject-verb agreement), and 'When you will sign' (unnecessary future tense in a time clause). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough, alongside issues with prepositions and missing articles, to reflect a developing control of grammar.

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