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 Jacob,

I'm writing today to clear your confusion about taking decision for go to college or to get job.

I believe finding a job is best thing you can do instead of pursuing college after many years of gap. You finished your college with several breaks as you were not enjoying studying.

However, you graduated already which gives you a direction to find the job. Moreover, you are in fitness field and the demand for this profession increases significantly. Thus, working in your field will give you several benefits.

In addition, you are registered fitness trainer and tones of opportunity are open in market in various sector like gym, sports event, school and hospitals. Advantage is wherever you work you are going to earn a lot so start searching the job from today and I'm happy to be your reference.

I hope my guidance will help you to clear your brain fog.

See you soon,

Jackson

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining why college is not suitable, why a job is a good idea, and suggesting specific roles. Your position is clear throughout the letter. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, you mention that your friend did not enjoy studying, but you could have expanded on this by explaining how the pressure of academic life might negatively impact their mental well-being. Similarly, while you suggest fitness-related roles, providing a bit more detail on why these specific roles suit their personality would have strengthened the response. Overall, the task is fulfilled, but the depth of explanation could be improved to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the advice to the reasoning and finally to the suggestions. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Moreover', and 'In addition' to link your ideas. While these are effective, the flow between some sentences feels a bit mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points of the letter. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the transition between your personal observations about your friend's past and your current advice is smoother. The overall structure is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'pursuing', 'significantly', and 'reference'. However, there are some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'taking decision for go to college' (should be 'making a decision about going to college') and 'tones of opportunity' (should be 'tons of opportunities'). Additionally, 'clear your brain fog' is a bit informal and slightly awkward in this context. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary usage and better attention to common English collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'finding a job is best thing' (missing 'the'), 'you graduated already' (word order), and 'demand for this profession increases' (tense usage). Some sentences are slightly fragmented or lack necessary articles. While these errors are frequent, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring that your verb tenses are consistent when discussing past experiences versus future possibilities.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.