Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-28

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

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sami,

I hope you're doing well.

I'm writing this email regarding the advice weather study or work.

For me the suitable choice for you is to choose to work instead of going to college.

I know you're struggling with studies and you're a professional chef due to your previous experience restaurants and hotels, also your mom is ill and she can't work anymore.

It will be better to complete you experience in Plaza Hotel which is a very known company and the study will not add nothing to your career.

I advise you more to look for a training center of cooking it's in the downtown you can study online the courses and they provide practice sessions.

So my dear friend focus more in your future by developing your self and improve your skills is a perfect choice in my opinion.

If you need any further informations regarding the center don't hesitate to contact me.

You dear friend,

Jakobe

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: it explains why college is not suitable, why working is better, and suggests specific training options. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding the mother's illness is mentioned but not fully integrated into the argument about why a job is necessary. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the position is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your reasoning with more specific details or personal anecdotes to make the advice feel more persuasive and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite basic and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between the mention of the mother's illness and the advice about the Plaza Hotel is abrupt. There is a lack of varied linking words to connect ideas smoothly. While the overall progression is logical, the paragraphing could be more effective if you grouped related ideas more cohesively. Improving the use of transition signals would help the flow of your writing significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'professional chef', 'experience', and 'training center'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'weather study or work' should be 'whether to study or work', and 'very known company' is better expressed as 'well-known company'. Additionally, 'informations' is an uncountable noun and should be 'information'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more attention to word forms and common collocations to achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'complete you experience' (should be 'your'), 'add nothing to your career' (a double negative), and 'focus more in your future' (should be 'on'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor issues with sentence boundaries. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these small errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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