Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 Sara,

I hope you are doing well. I am delighted to hear that you have been offered a place at the Mehran University. Indeed, it is a great opportunity to study a course there. When I was a student, I opted for a local accomodation instead of a hostel. I lived with a family of four; in addition, they were very cooperative and friendly. I rented a single bed room and food is included with the accomodation. On weekend, I used to help their children with Science.

There are a number of families near the university that offer accomodation for students. You must look for a nuclear family; in addition, they should not have toddlers otherwise you will have difficulty in your studies. Furthermore, accomodation must be near the public transport so that in your leisure time you can explore the city or go to the library whenever you want.

I would like to aware you about some mistakes learners make when choosing a accomodation. Do not pay the rent in advance. Additionally, check the neighbourhood before finalizing the accomodation. Moreover, all the basic facilities must be in your access such as clinic, library, public transport, supermarket and pharmacy.

Certainly, it will be a great experience for you to studying there. I hope you have a great time there.

Best wishes.

Zara Shaikh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three requested points and maintain a friendly, appropriate email tone. The description of living with a family, renting a single bedroom, and helping their children gives your friend a clear picture of your student experience. You also offer practical advice about nearby accommodation and checking the neighbourhood and facilities. The warning not to pay rent in advance is useful, although it would be stronger with a brief explanation, such as the risk of losing money before seeing a written agreement. Some recommendations are quite general: explain how to find suitable families, for example through university housing services or trusted student groups, and why a family without toddlers may suit your friend. This would make the advice more fully developed and specific.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The email has a clear progression: you describe your own accommodation, give recommendations, warn about common mistakes, and close with good wishes. Paragraphing supports this structure, and linking phrases such as “Furthermore” and “Additionally” help connect related points. The sequence is easy to follow, though the repeated use of “in addition,” “Furthermore,” “Moreover,” and “Additionally” makes some connections feel mechanical. The second paragraph also combines advice about the type of family with transport access; a clearer sequence or a more explicit link between these points would improve flow. You could use a wider range of natural transitions and pronouns to avoid repeating “accommodation” while keeping each recommendation clearly connected to the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and includes useful terms such as “cooperative,” “neighbourhood,” and “facilities.” The reader can understand your recommendations throughout. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “local accommodation,” “a single bed room,” and “I would like to aware you.” There are also spelling errors in “accomodation,” which appears several times. These do not prevent understanding, but they limit the precision and naturalness of the email. Aim to learn common combinations such as “private accommodation,” “single bedroom,” and “warn you about,” and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary for searching and renting would also make your advice more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “when,” “so that,” and “otherwise.” Most ideas remain clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “food is included” shifts into the present while describing your past accommodation, and “On weekend” needs a plural or article. The phrase “a great experience for you to studying there” has an incorrect verb form; use “to study” after “for you.” In “all the basic facilities must be in your access,” the sentence pattern is not grammatical. Review tense consistency in past narratives, articles and plurals, and infinitive forms. These corrections would make your varied sentence structures more accurate without changing your friendly tone.

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