Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-07

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 Kristina,

I received your letter yesterday. I'm glad to know that you are doing fine.

Regarding your dilemma about higher studies versus a job, I would definitely advise you to get a job. As far as i know you, you have always been the person who have always liked gaining skills through hands on experiences rather than studying theories. Although I personally respect and value University's degree, I believe there is not much that will add up to your skillset, making it a boring experience for you.

Since you have to support your family financially back home and also cover your brother's study expenses, I would encourage you to get employed. You still have a chance to join the college few years later after everything gets normal and if you still feel like it. remember Grace from high school? She worked in the IT field for like five good years before joining the university.

what about you trying to pursue your career in fashion designing and event managing? Ever since you were a child, you have always loved arts and craft and you are very good in drawing and decorating. I believe these qualities makes you an idle person to succeed in this field.

All the best

Shirisha Kayastha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You clearly explained why college might not be suitable for your friend, provided a logical reason for choosing employment (financial support), and suggested relevant career paths. Your tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and your position is consistent throughout the response. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting details are fully developed; for instance, while you mention your friend's interest in arts, you could briefly elaborate on how a job in fashion would specifically help her build the practical skills you mentioned earlier.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Regarding', 'Although', and 'Since' to link your ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing is always precise. For example, the transition between the financial advice and the career suggestion could be smoother to better connect the two ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'hands-on experiences', 'skillset', and 'pursue your career' are used correctly and fit the context well. There are some minor word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'idle person' (likely meaning 'ideal candidate') and 'making it a boring experience'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common vocabulary. For instance, instead of 'add up to your skillset', you could use 'enhance your professional profile'. Overall, your vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the person who have always liked', 'these qualities makes') and punctuation errors (missing capitalization in 'what about you'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and capitalization will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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