Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-15

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 Meenu,

I am so happy to hear from you and even happier to know you got admission in MBBS at The Liaquat University. In your last letter you were asking about renting a place near university. During the time I was studying there, I sublet a two bedroom apartment with a friend opposite to the university.

If you say, I know a good real estate agent; he recently helped a friend of mine get an apartment in that building. He will certainly help you out too.

However if you prefer living somewhere else you must keep few thing in mind. Most buildings have hard water flow, which gets inconvenient because you will be living here for 5 years. Furthermore, do not give advance to the owner until he fixes previous damage in the apartment, if it has any.

Anyways, please do let me know if you need any further assistance on my behalf, I would love to help you.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Love,

XYZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that you shared a two-bedroom apartment opposite the university, recommend a real-estate agent, and warn about hard water and paying before damage is repaired. These details make the advice relevant and personal. However, the recommendation is less fully developed than the description of your own accommodation: explain how your friend can contact the agent or what to check when viewing a property. The warning about hard water could also be clearer—for example, say why it is a problem and how to check the water supply. Developing these points with practical detail would make the advice more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The email has a clear overall sequence: you respond to your friend’s news, describe your former accommodation, offer a recommendation, and then give cautions before closing warmly. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “However” and “Furthermore” guide the reader. Some linking is less natural or precise, though. “If you say” does not clearly introduce the agent recommendation, and “Anyways” is a rather abrupt transition into the closing. The reference in “that building” may also be unclear because the building has not been identified in detail. Use more direct links, such as “I recommend contacting…” and “One final point…”, to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for a friendly email and includes relevant housing terms such as “sublet,” “real estate agent,” “advance,” and “previous damage.” The tone is generally warm and appropriate, and the reader can understand your advice. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “got admission in MBBS” and “hard water flow” do not sound natural in this context, while “give advance” needs a more idiomatic expression. “If you say” also does not convey the intended meaning clearly. Aim for natural housing-related phrases and check collocations, rather than relying on direct translations. This would make your message more fluent and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the conditional “if you prefer living somewhere else” and the clause “until he fixes previous damage.” Most of the message remains understandable, and the sentence forms support the friendly email style. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, plurals, and sentence construction. For example, “keep few thing in mind” needs an article and plural form, and “a two bedroom apartment” requires a hyphen in the compound modifier. The sentence beginning “Most buildings have hard water flow” is also awkwardly constructed. Review article use and singular/plural agreement, and revise longer sentences to ensure each phrase connects clearly.

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

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