Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-20

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 Sukhman,

Hope you’re good,

I received your letter, as you’re confused between doing job or study. I would advise you to do a job, as I’m concerned about your future.

First of all, it’s been a while since you graduated a couple of years before and now, continuing study again is not the best decision for you. As, if you join college now, you might find it difficult to start over again with a new course and spending a lot of money on your tuition fees with minimum work in a week, as such, you might face financial problems too.

Therefore, I would advise you to get a good job. As it’s time to earn good money and living your best life without being dependent on your parents. You should make your parents proud by being independent.

You definitely have a lot of options for the job. As you’re graduated with pharmacy technician before. There’s a high demand for this course and employers’ personally contact students who studied this course and you know what? They paid you well.

I would be happy if you accept my advice. Let me know if you need any help. All the best for future!

Yours lovingly,

Gurleen

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state why college might not be suitable, explain the benefits of employment, and suggest a specific career path based on the friend's background. Your position is consistent throughout the letter. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are slightly more developed; for instance, you could elaborate on the specific challenges of returning to education after a gap. However, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task appropriately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Therefore', and 'As' to link your ideas. While the progression is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For example, starting multiple sentences with 'As' creates a somewhat predictable flow. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid. Overall, the message is easy to follow, and the structure is appropriate for a semi-formal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'tuition fees', 'independent', and 'financial problems'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'doing job' (should be 'getting a job') and 'you’re graduated' (should be 'you graduated'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over common collocations. To improve, focus on learning natural word pairings and using more sophisticated synonyms to replace basic terms like 'good' or 'study'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'as you’re confused between doing job or study' (should be 'as you are confused about whether to get a job or study') and 'They paid you well' (should be 'They pay well'). Punctuation is generally functional, though some sentence boundaries are slightly awkward. To achieve a higher score, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage, as well as reducing the frequency of minor errors in your complex sentences.

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

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