Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-26

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 Sarah,

How have you been? I hope you're doing well. I'm writing this because I have heard that you're confused about choosing a study and career. I want to give you some information based on my experience.

To begin with, I don't think you'll be able to focus on your studies. This is because if you enroll once in an academic year, you'd have to finish 2 years of it. Not only that, but you'll have to do all the same things, meeting deadlines for projects, assignments and so on.

As you have a desire to study abroad, wait for the letter of acceptance. As long as I remember, you'll be studying early childhood education here, if I'm not wrong? This will help you to have more opportunities in your life. For now, get experience from the known daycare, which'll be helpful to your course.

Anyway, I hope everything goes well. Let me know what you think, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Afroza

Finally, I'd say

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt, which is excellent. You clearly state why college might be difficult, explain the benefits of working, and suggest a specific job type (daycare). However, the development of your ideas is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, your explanation of why she would not enjoy college is a bit vague regarding the '2 years' requirement. Additionally, the advice to 'wait for the letter of acceptance' for study abroad seems to contradict your primary argument that she should get a job instead of going to college. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are consistently focused on supporting your main position throughout the entire letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Not only that', and 'Anyway' to connect your ideas. While the flow is generally easy to follow, the transition between the idea of not going to college and the suggestion to study abroad is slightly confusing, which impacts the overall progression of your argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points required by the task. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words to create smoother transitions between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary such as 'enroll', 'academic year', 'deadlines', and 'acceptance'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor issues with word choice, such as 'choosing a study' (should be 'choosing a field of study' or 'choosing a course') and 'get experience from the known daycare' (which sounds slightly unnatural). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common vocabulary related to career and education advice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear, and your meaning is rarely obscured by errors. You use conditional structures ('if you enroll', 'if I'm not wrong') and relative clauses effectively. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'As long as I remember' (should be 'As far as I remember') and 'helpful to your course' (should be 'helpful for your course'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate that your control over complex structures is not yet fully consistent. Focusing on prepositions and idiomatic expressions will help improve your accuracy.

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

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