Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24
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 Mitesh,
I hope you are doing well. I am extremely delighted to assist you from getting out from the confusion between whether to go to college or seek a job.
As I know that you are indolent about reading and writing, attending college would not be beneficial for you. It would be a waste of time for you. In addition, your financial challenge might not allow you to concentrate on your study, so that going college will not be right decision for you.
I believe that securing a job will be good idea for you since you will be able to meet your daily expenses. It will also help you increase your professional skills. It will be like killing two birds with one stone.
I would like to suggest seeking job as a tutor in English language classes because it is your mother language. This role may help you gain language proficiency, which may help you run a business in language learning tuition in the future.
Best wishes,
Miral Khunt
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly explain why college might not be suitable for Mitesh, provide a logical argument for why a job is a better alternative, and offer a specific job suggestion. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the 'why' behind your suggestions to provide more depth, but overall, the response is well-developed and fully satisfies the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each point, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'since', and 'because' to link ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different topics. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to make the flow between sentences feel more natural and less mechanical. Currently, the progression is clear, but the transitions between some sentences could be smoother to enhance the overall readability.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'indolent about reading', 'financial challenge', and 'killing two birds with one stone' show a good attempt at using idiomatic and descriptive language. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'assist you from getting out from the confusion' (which is slightly awkward) and 'run a business in language learning tuition'. Focusing on more precise collocations and refining your phrasing will help you move into the higher band range.
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 slips, such as 'going college will not be right decision' (missing 'to' and 'a') and 'seeking job' (missing an article). The sentence 'I am extremely delighted to assist you from getting out from the confusion' is also grammatically clunky. To improve, focus on article usage and prepositional phrases. Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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