Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-09

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 Raj,

Hello. I hope this letter finds you in good health, I am writing this letter to offer some advice regarding the next step in your career.

Last time you wrote you were in a dilemma as to go for a job or pursue your further studies. I personally feel, opting for a job is a better idea for you in your current situation as I have known you for a long time and I have never seen you enjoying studying. Therefore, it is better for you to find a job.

Also, I believe that, if you get a job now, you can give financial assistance for your younger brother?s education. Now that you have completed Bachelor?s in Technology doing Masters is not very important in the current scenario, as both are being paid similar salaries.

It would be better if you apply for coding or gaming related IT jobs because you are very interested in coding since our college days. These jobs can give you personal satisfaction and also give you a bright future.

I hope my advice is helpful for you and you make the right decision. Hope to see you soon.

Best Regards,

John Cater.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state why college might not be suitable, provide a logical reason for choosing employment, and suggest specific IT-related roles. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the 'why' behind your friend not enjoying college, perhaps by referencing specific past experiences or personality traits, which would add more depth to the development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Also', 'Therefore', and 'It would be better if' to connect your ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to create smoother transitions between sentences. Currently, the structure is functional but somewhat mechanical; incorporating more sophisticated cohesive devices would enhance the overall readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dilemma', 'financial assistance', and 'personal satisfaction'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'doing Masters is not very important', which could be phrased more naturally as 'pursuing a Master's degree is not essential'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the range of less common or idiomatic expressions that would be expected at a higher band level. Focus on using more precise collocations to improve your lexical precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as the comma splice in the first sentence ('...good health, I am writing...') and the incorrect use of the question mark in 'brother?s education' and 'Bachelor?s in Technology' (likely due to encoding issues). Additionally, 'as I have known you for a long time' is slightly awkward in this context. To improve, ensure you use correct punctuation and work on refining complex sentence structures to reduce the frequency of minor errors.

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

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