Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-19

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 Ibrahim,

I hope you are doing well. Thanks for sharing such a great news about you being offered a place on a course at the university. I am assured that you have opted the right course at the best university.

I do remember my four-years at the university, the place I lived and the friends I made during my time at the university. Those were the days to cherish!

You asked for my advice about finding a place to live. Trust me, you have picked the foremost important topic before leaving your place for the university. People take this topic very lightly and often end up suffering during their time at the university.

I would recommend finding a place in Zahia town. I spent my university days living there. This place offers a great commute option to the Universit as the Subway station is only 5-minutes walk away. A park within the community radius is also a cherry on the top. I used to spend my evenings over there with my books. Trust me, you will be needing a plent of time where you can study in peace and the evenings at the park wil surely fulfill this need. Lastly, what makes that area worth checking is the variety of supermarkets nearby. All the day-to-day things within your reach at the affordable prices.

Please do check the real-estate webistes for the available listings. Also, please do visit the listed places by yourself. If visiting the place is not possible becuase of any reason, ask the realtor to show you the place through video call. Last but not the least, please make sure the listed property has all the utilities connection available and offers a Wi-fi connectivity as well. Most of my classmates missed to check these basics and ended up paying a hefty amount to the realtors without these.

I hope you find this useful and please let me know if I could be of any help.

I wish you all the very best.

Thanks,

Hayyan Tahir

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The email addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, friendly purpose. You describe your own experience in Zahia town, supporting the recommendation with the nearby subway, park and supermarkets. You also give practical search advice—checking property listings, viewing places in person or by video, and confirming utilities and Wi-Fi—and warn about classmates’ costly oversight. These details make the advice relevant and useful. Some points could be developed more precisely: for example, explain why Zahia is the best choice for your friend, or mention another reliable way to find accommodation, such as university housing services. The warning focuses mainly on missing facilities, so adding a caution about checking the contract or total costs would make this part more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The message has a clear progression: you open with congratulations, recall your student experience, recommend an area, then offer search advice and a closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “Lastly” and “Also” guide the reader through the practical suggestions. The overall organisation is easy to follow. At times, however, linking phrases feel formulaic or are used in quick succession, particularly “Lastly” and “Last but not the least.” Some ideas could also be grouped more tightly: the description of Zahia and its benefits would be clearer if each supporting detail were connected directly to why it suits a student. Use a wider variety of natural links and clearer references between sentences to make the flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a friendly advice email, including relevant terms such as “real-estate,” “available listings,” “utilities connection,” and “affordable prices.” Phrases like “a cherry on the top” add a conversational tone, and the meaning remains clear despite some inaccurate or awkward choices. For greater precision and naturalness, revise expressions such as “foremost important topic” and “a plent of time,” and check spelling in “Universit,” “webistes,” “becuase,” and “wil.” Some collocations are also unnatural, including “offers a great commute option” and “missed to check.” More accurate everyday phrasing would make the advice sound fluent while preserving its friendly style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The email includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and many sentences communicate their meaning clearly. For instance, “If visiting the place is not possible … ask the realtor to show you the place through video call” uses a conditional structure effectively. Some grammatical errors remain, however. “Such a great news” has an article problem, “my four-years” uses an incorrect plural form, and “only 5-minutes walk away” needs a possessive construction. The sentence “All the day-to-day things within your reach at the affordable prices” is a fragment, while “I am assured that you have opted the right course” has an incorrect verb pattern and missing article. Review articles, agreement, possessives and complete sentence structure to improve accuracy.

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