Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-26

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 Sam,

How're you doing? i hope life treating you well. Congratulations for your new journey at the University of British Columbia. I am glad that you asked for my advice to find an accomodation.

When i was a student, i rented a one room appartment, which i shared with one of my classmates, as this helped me to save alot money.

As far as I remember i found my one room rental apartment on facebook marketplace. So, i would suggest you to do the same, as it will be beneficial for you. Whats more? try to find a place near to your campus, because this will save your time and money for the daily commuting for attending classes.

Make sure you don't pay any deposit or advance before you meet the landlord in person. As many students have become victims of frauds and scams by paying advance by online transactions.

I hope you will find my suggestions helpful.

Warm wishes,

Gurdial singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that you shared a one-room apartment with a classmate, recommend Facebook Marketplace and living near campus, and warn Sam not to pay a deposit before meeting the landlord. These details make the email relevant and appropriately friendly. The accommodation advice is practical, but some points are only briefly developed: for example, you could explain how to check whether an online listing is genuine, or give another way to find housing. The warning focuses on one important risk, while the description of your own living arrangement could say a little more about its advantages or drawbacks. The response therefore covers the task, with some parts developed more fully than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The email has a clear progression: a friendly opening, your experience as a student, recommendations, a warning, and a warm closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “When I was a student” and “As far as I remember” guide the reader through your advice. The ideas are generally easy to follow, although the recommendation paragraph combines finding accommodation with commuting benefits, and “What’s more?” is an abrupt question-like transition. A smoother link, such as “Also,” would make the advice flow more naturally. Overall, the organisation is clear and cohesive; more varied, unobtrusive transitions and slightly clearer links between related points would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a personal email, including relevant terms such as “rental apartment,” “landlord,” “deposit,” and “scams.” The tone is friendly and the meaning remains clear. However, some spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy: “accomodation” and “appartment” are misspelled, while “save alot money” is not a natural expression. “Advance” is also less precise in “pay any deposit or advance”; “advance payment” would be clearer. The phrase “daily commuting for attending classes” is understandable but awkward. Aim to learn common collocations for housing and money, and proofread spelling carefully. This would make your vocabulary more precise and natural without changing the approachable tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause “as this helped me to save…” and the longer warning beginning “Make sure…”. Most ideas are understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. In “I hope life treating you well,” the verb needs “is”; “I am glad that you asked for my advice to find” would be more grammatical as “advice on finding.” Capitalisation is inconsistent in “i” and “when i,” and the sentence fragment “As many students have become victims…” should be joined to the preceding sentence or rewritten as a complete sentence. These issues rarely obstruct meaning, but checking verb forms, sentence boundaries, and capital letters would improve accuracy.

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