Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 Luis,

I hope you're doing great! I am extremely delighted to hear that you're going to continue your further studies at the same university from where, I had been graduated. I would love to give you advice about how to look for a peaceful place to live.

When I was a student, I lived in an apartment in Toronto nearby downtown. This location is close to all the essential needs such as grocery stores, hospitals and public transport. On the top of that, university distance is just ten minutes away by walking which saves transport cost.

I would like to suggest some online websites for suitable accommodation such as market place, kijji and various advertisements on the social media platforms for renting the room for single person. If you were not able to find a place I will contact to my old owner if they have any empty spot.

The mistakes to avoid while choosing accommodation is the location which is away from bustling and in the apartment or house they should be limited people. Otherwise, you would not able to concentrate on the studies. Would you have any other concern, please contact me immediately.

Hope this information will help you!

Best wishes,

Navpreet Dhillon.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points and maintain a friendly, appropriate email tone. The description of your Toronto apartment is useful, especially its proximity to shops, public transport, and the university. You also offer practical search routes, including online listings and contacting your former landlord. The warning about choosing a distant location and sharing with too many people is relevant, but it is less fully explained than the other points; clarify what to check, such as travel time, household size, or noise, before agreeing to rent. Some advice is also slightly unclear, for example “away from bustling.” The response covers the task well overall, but developing and clarifying these points would make the advice more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The email has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, a paragraph about your former home, advice on searching, a warning, and a friendly closing. This makes the main information easy to locate. You also use linking expressions such as “On the top of that,” “Otherwise,” and “If you were not able to find a place” to connect ideas. However, some transitions feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely, and the warning paragraph combines several points without a clear sequence. The reference in “If you were not able to find a place” could also be made more direct by specifying that you mean accommodation. Organising the warning into a clear checklist and using more natural links would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a friendly email, including relevant terms such as “accommodation,” “public transport,” “renting,” and “concentrate on the studies.” There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “peaceful place” and “bustling,” although some choices are inaccurate or unnatural in context. For example, “continue your further studies” is redundant, “market place” and “kijji” are not presented as standard names, and “empty spot” is vague when referring to a room. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding your main advice, but more precise collocations and careful spelling would improve naturalness. Aim for straightforward, accurate phrasing rather than adding elaborate expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “the same university from where…” and a conditional sentence beginning “If you were not able to find a place.” The message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “I had been graduated” uses an incorrect verb form, “university distance is just ten minutes away” has an awkward noun structure, and “The mistakes … is” has subject–verb disagreement. The conditional “If you were not able … I will contact” also shifts tense inconsistently. Review verb patterns, agreement, articles, and conditional forms, and check sentence punctuation. More accurate control of these structures would make your advice smoother and clearer.

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

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