Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Harsh,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to advice you on making a decision about whether to go to college or to try to get a job.

I would strongly recommend to find a job and do not enroll in the college. As I know, you will not enjoy joining the college because it is mainly focus on the theory and you do not like this. I know you want to learn some practical skills that you can gain through the work experience better than a college.

As I mentioned, employment experience will help you to gain some practical skills, expand your knowledge and provide the opportunity to deal with real life situations. However, after attending a college, you will still struggle for the work experience.

I would like to suggest you to find a job such as accountant, bank manager. It suits well with your skills and education.

I hope it will guide you to make a better decision.

Best regards,

Mittu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: explaining why college might not be enjoyable, the benefits of working, and suggesting suitable jobs. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, suggesting 'accountant' or 'bank manager' as a first job for someone who dislikes theory is slightly contradictory, as these roles typically require significant formal education and theoretical knowledge. To reach a higher band, the ideas should be more logically connected to the friend's specific situation and developed with more depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. There is a logical flow from the introduction to the advice and finally the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For instance, the transition 'As I mentioned' is used to link ideas, but the connection between the paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure could benefit from a wider variety of linking words to improve the flow between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. There are some attempts at using more specific vocabulary, such as 'enroll' and 'practical skills'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'advice you' (should be 'advise') and 'mainly focus on' (should be 'mainly focused on'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and the letter relies on fairly simple phrasing. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of synonyms to express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'I am writing this letter to advice you' (should be 'advise'), 'do not enroll in the college' (should be 'do not enroll in college'), and 'It suits well with your skills' (should be 'It suits your skills well'). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To achieve a higher score, you should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions.

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

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