Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-14

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 Victoria,

Trust you are doing well. I have read your letter and I can see that you are considering either going to a college or starting a job. I believe you should start working so that you can help the situation of things around you.

To start with, you would not be happy going to school because of the circumstances that surround you. Your Mother is late and your Father is a Taxi Driver in a company at the moment, he does not have the financial capability to sponsor you to high school yet. Going to college can be very demanding in terms of money, you would be asked to pay your tution fee, buy textbooks, do research projects which all of these require some payments.

I believe securing employment is a worthwile option for you so that you can become financially stable and help your father to get his own taxi rather than working in a firm. Also, you can decide to work for 5 years and save money, then you can think of going to an institution to further your Education.

I would recommend a part-time job because of your siblings. If you are working a few hours daily, you will be able to take care of your younger ones and also have the time to continue your education after 5 years. There is a rubber factory at Nicolas Street, you can try it because they employ people to work part-time.

I look forward to hearing from you by the end of the month so that we can discuss better.

Best Wishes!

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points and maintain a clear recommendation to work rather than attend college. The reasons are relevant: you explain that college would create financial pressure and that employment could help Victoria support her father and siblings. You also suggest a specific part-time job at a rubber factory, which makes the advice practical. The ideas are generally extended with supporting details, such as saving for five years before further study. To strengthen the letter further, develop why Victoria personally would not enjoy college, rather than focusing mainly on its cost and her family’s circumstances. The reference to her mother being “late” is also unclear, so explain what this means or choose a more relevant reason.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: you introduce your advice, explain the drawbacks of college, give reasons to work, and then suggest a suitable job. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and phrases such as “To start with,” “Also,” and “I would recommend” help guide the reader. The closing is appropriate for a friendly letter. Some connections could be made more smoothly, however. For example, the shift from helping her father buy a taxi to working part-time because of her siblings would benefit from a clearer explanation of how these aims fit together. The sentence beginning “Going to college can be very demanding” also contains several related points in one sequence; separating or linking them more carefully would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the advice and its practical details, including “financially stable,” “sponsor,” “part-time job,” and “save money.” However, several word choices, collocations, and spelling errors limit precision and naturalness. “Your Mother is late” is unclear in this context, while “help the situation of things around you” is vague. “A worthwile option” contains a spelling error and is not a natural collocation; “tution fee” is also misspelled. Some capitalization, such as “Education,” is unnecessary. Aim for more precise everyday expressions suited to a personal letter, and check spelling and collocations carefully. This would make your meaning clearer and give your vocabulary greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including reason clauses with “because,” a purpose clause with “so that,” and a conditional structure in “If you are working a few hours daily, you will be able to…”. Most of the message remains understandable, but some sentence structures and punctuation need more control. In “Your Mother is late and your Father is a Taxi Driver in a company at the moment, he does not have…,” two independent clauses are joined with a comma; use a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction. “Do research projects which all of these require…” is also structurally awkward and would be clearer as “do research projects, all of which require payment.” Review sentence boundaries and clause linking to improve accuracy.

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

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