Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-31

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)

vDear 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 finding 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 savings. Additionally, it would also enable you to learn a new skill and upgrade your profile in the organisation.

I would like to recommend obtaining an employment in the construction sector because i noticed the possibility of travelling to Germany is high as there is an increase demand of employees in the building field with high salaries. Consequently, it would give you the avenue for broadening your knowledge about a particular course 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 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly state your position in favor of employment over college and provide reasons for this choice. You explain why college might be difficult due to expenses and highlight the benefits of working, such as saving money and skill acquisition. You also suggest a specific sector—construction—and provide a logical reason for this recommendation. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the personal benefits of working to provide a more fully developed argument, as some points are currently quite brief.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally,' 'Consequently,' and 'due to the fact that' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is slightly abrupt. The paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format. To improve, ensure that your cohesive devices flow more naturally and avoid repetitive sentence structures. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure,' 'acquiring a position,' and 'broadening your knowledge.' There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'moving to college' (usually 'going to college') and 'obtaining an employment' (should be 'obtaining employment' or 'getting a job'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the variety and precision required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'hope you are doing well' (should be 'I hope'), 'increase demand' (should be 'increased demand'), and the lowercase 'i' in the third paragraph. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. You have attempted some complex sentences, but they occasionally lack precision. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and ensure that articles and prepositions are used correctly. Increasing the variety of your sentence structures will also help boost your score.

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

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