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)

Dear Amaka, this is in response to your letter on either to have something doing or get admission to college, in my opinion i think that you might not really enjoy going to school at the moment because of the lack of fund to be able to pay for tuition, getting a job for now is preferable because it will get you prepared for finacial challenges. I want to advice that it will be better if you base your search for jobs to work as a libery keeper, so as to avail yourself the opportunity to read very well and get ready when you finally get admission.

It is obvious to note that you might not really enjoy going to college for the main time because of finacial constraint, i am aware that your mum is retired and your dad is sick which would have been of help to you in terms of funding, owing to these challenges i think it is wise to pause and get a job first to avoid not concentrating while in school.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining why college might not be enjoyable, why a job is a good idea, and suggesting suitable employment. Your position is clear throughout the letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive; for instance, you mention financial constraints in both paragraphs. To improve, you should aim to expand on the benefits of working beyond just financial preparation, perhaps by discussing the acquisition of soft skills or professional experience. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, though the structure could be more balanced to ensure each point is fully explored.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into two main paragraphs, which is a logical approach. You use some cohesive devices such as 'owing to these challenges' and 'in my opinion'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. The connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear central theme and that you use a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more naturally rather than relying on repetitive phrasing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'preferable', 'financial constraints', and 'opportunity'. However, there are several spelling errors ('libery', 'finacial', 'advice' used as a verb instead of 'advise') and some awkward collocations like 'have something doing'. These errors do not generally impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on mastering the spelling of common academic and professional terms and try to incorporate more varied synonyms to avoid repeating words like 'enjoy' and 'job'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and sentence construction. For example, 'this is in response to your letter on either to have something doing' is grammatically incorrect and awkward. You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and punctuation, such as the run-on sentence in the opening. While your meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors requires the reader to work harder to follow your points. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will help significantly.

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