Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-29

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)

no colllege nearby, support his family

Dear Robin,

I hope you are doing well. In your previous letter you asked for an advice whether you should attend a college or start a job.

From my opinion, you should start earning. Because of your family responsibilities and long distance to college, I think you won't be able to fully enjoy your college life.

You can choose your career in fields like finance or investment. As you have some expertise in working in these sectors and, hence it will be easier for you to get a job. It's better to concentrate on getting a high pay job and opt for distance learning.

Let me know if you need any help in applying for these positions. My cousin is working in the same field, if you need any further assistance he can guide you as well.

Best regards,

Vaishali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: explaining why college is unsuitable, why a job is beneficial, and suggesting specific roles. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. The ideas are relevant but could be expanded with more personal detail or specific examples to fully satisfy the requirements. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the position is clear throughout. To improve, ensure that each point is elaborated upon with more supporting sentences to comfortably exceed the word count.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points. Cohesive devices such as 'Because of', 'hence', and 'as well' are used to link ideas, although the flow is occasionally slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, and the letter maintains a consistent focus on the topic throughout. To reach a higher band, try to vary the transition words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'an advice' (advice is uncountable) and 'high pay job' (should be 'high-paying job'). The range is sufficient for a general task, but there is limited use of less common or idiomatic language. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure correct usage of uncountable nouns. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and professional terminology would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'From my opinion' (should be 'In my opinion') and 'an advice'. Additionally, the sentence 'My cousin is working in the same field, if you need any further assistance he can guide you as well' is a comma splice. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve the score.

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