Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job.

Write a letter to this friend. In your letter

• say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
• explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
• suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Richard,

Hello my friend, it's been a while. I write to you advising you to look for a job instead of going to college.

I honestly think college is not the right place for you. You have always struggled in academics during high school, college is only worse. The schedules are really tight and I fear that it will be hard for you to keep up. Failure to keep up will result in low scores and you may not graduate. Tuition is also very high for most colleges, I understand you lost your education sponsor last year. Also, getting a student loan will strain you financially in the future.

The best you can do right now is getting a job. You can work at the new warehouse close to your house, I heard they are hiring general labourers. They do not require any academic qualifications. During the night, you can work at Wendy's bar, I already recommended you. These jobs will help to keep you busy, at the same time, earning money to take care of yourself and your siblings whilst we map out the way forward.

Give yourself time to think about dude!, see you soon.

Kind regards,

Carl

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points and make your recommendation clear from the opening: you advise Richard to seek work rather than attend college. The reasons are relevant and personalised, including his academic difficulties, the cost of tuition, and the loss of his sponsor. You also suggest two specific options, warehouse work and a job at Wendy’s. This meets the core task well. To make the advice more fully developed, explain more specifically why college would not suit his interests or preferred way of learning, and why the suggested jobs match his abilities. The final suggestion to “give yourself time to think” also slightly softens the otherwise clear recommendation; a more decisive closing would strengthen your position throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening recommendation, a paragraph explaining concerns about college, a paragraph presenting job options, and a closing. The progression is easy to follow, and links such as “also” and “at the same time” help connect related points. The paragraphing is appropriate for a personal letter. Some connections are less smooth, however: “During the night” introduces the Wendy’s suggestion abruptly, and the long sentence beginning “These jobs will help” combines several benefits and ideas without clearly separating them. The closing phrase “Give yourself time to think about dude!” is also confusing in its punctuation and address. Use transitions that show the relationship between each point and keep longer sentences more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for giving personal advice, and several choices communicate the situation clearly, including “struggled in academics,” “student loan,” “general labourers,” and “financially.” You also use a suitably friendly tone in the greeting and sign-off. At times, however, wording is imprecise or unnatural: “I write to you advising you” is awkward, “college is only worse” is unclear, and “map out the way forward” is rather vague in this context. “Wendy’s bar” may also be an inaccurate description of the workplace. Aim for more natural collocations and precise job-related terms, while keeping the informal register appropriate for a friend. These improvements would make your advice sound more fluent and assured.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the conditional idea “Failure to keep up will result in low scores” and the relative clause “the new warehouse close to your house.” Most of the message remains understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation errors are present, though: “I write to you advising” uses an awkward tense construction, and “You have always struggled in academics during high school, college is only worse” joins two independent clauses with a comma. The sentence beginning “These jobs will help” also has an unclear structure around “at the same time, earning money.” In the closing, “Give yourself time to think about dude!” has incorrect punctuation and sentence construction. Review sentence boundaries and build longer sentences with clear, complete clauses.

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

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