Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25

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 Oscar,

I am writing you this letter suggesting you if you should apply for college or start a job. My suggestion would be for you to apply for a job.

I personally think, since you have already completed your bachelors and also graduated from a post-graduate diploma program. The idea of getting back to academics and enrolling for a specialization course would not be pleasant for you. Given importance to your time, I have witnessed your troubles when it comes to scheduling. I am worrisome of the possibility of a once in a life-time opportunity being presented to you an you are being hesitant to take due to the commitment to your college and studying schedule.

In my opinion, you should start working and enter your professional work life era. You have gained substantial experience to be working in your field. It also helps you check-off a lot of things in your future at a faster pace, quicker you land a job the better you have the vision on how to progress forward in being financially independent.

After your successful completion of your final semester which was the internship part of your course, you have gained the credentials to work in the hospitality industry as a full-time employee. There are plenty luxury hotels and restaurants that would like to have you as one of the employee. You should definitely apply for those companies and i wish you all the very best.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly state why college would be unsuitable for your friend, explain the benefits of working, and provide specific suggestions regarding the hospitality industry. Your position is consistent throughout the letter. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are slightly more developed; for instance, when mentioning your friend's scheduling troubles, you could briefly explain how a job might offer a different kind of structure compared to the academic environment. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use paragraphing appropriately to separate different ideas. There is a good use of cohesive devices such as 'In my opinion', 'Given importance to your time', and 'After your successful completion'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between the friend's scheduling issues and the advice to work could be smoother. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'specialization course', 'financially independent', and 'credentials'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'I am worrisome of' (should be 'worried about') and 'professional work life era' (which is slightly unnatural). Additionally, there is a small error in 'one of the employee' (should be 'employees'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over collocations and pluralization to reach the higher bands.

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 several grammatical slips, such as 'suggesting you if you should' (should be 'suggesting whether you should'), 'an you are being hesitant' (should be 'and you are hesitant'), and 'quicker you land a job the better you have the vision' (which lacks proper article usage and comparative structure). These errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher score, though they do not cause significant difficulty for the reader. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will improve your accuracy.

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

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