Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-28

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 Tolu,

How are you, hope you are doing well? I am writing this letter in response to your letter requesting my advice on getting a job or moving to college. I will choose acquiring a job, due to the fact that it involves a lot of expenses to proceed to the university and you are not wealthy enough to make that kind of expenditure.

Acquiring a position in an industry would grant you the opportunity to have some saving. Additionally, it would also learn a new skill and upgrade your profile in the organisation.

I would like to recommend a obtaining an employment in a construction sector because I noticed the possibility of travelling to Germany is high as there is high demand of employees in the building field with high salaries. Consequently, it would give you the avenue for the broadening your knowledge about the particular course you will study in the future.

Thank you. I hope this cleared your doubt about making an important choice.

Best wishes,

Ella

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt, providing a clear position and relevant advice. You explained why college might not be suitable due to financial constraints, highlighted the benefits of working, and suggested a specific sector. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding why your friend would not enjoy college is brief and focuses primarily on money rather than the academic experience itself. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is expanded with more depth and personal detail to fully satisfy the 'well-developed' requirement of the higher band descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the introduction to the advice and concluding appropriately. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally,' 'Consequently,' and 'due to the fact that' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. Paragraphing is present, but the structure could be improved by ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the financial advice and the specific suggestion of the construction sector could be smoother to improve the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure,' 'organisation,' and 'broadening your knowledge.' There are, however, some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'acquiring a job' (usually 'getting' or 'finding'), 'have some saving' (should be 'savings'), and 'a obtaining an employment' (grammatically incorrect). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations. Expanding your vocabulary to include more natural, idiomatic expressions suitable for a letter to a friend would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'hope you are doing well' (missing subject 'I'), 'it would also learn a new skill' (incorrect subject), and 'the avenue for the broadening' (unnecessary article). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you move toward a higher band.

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

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