Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-01

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 Mitali,

I hope you are doing well. I am happy to hear that you seek my advice about whether starting a professional career or going to university for further study purpose. However, I think you should begin your job career in order to get success and financial support.

I remember clearly our school days, when you didn't like lectures and always keen to attend practical sessions. Also, majority of universities put emphasis on providing bookish knowledge to their students and forces them for memorization of all subjects. Therefore, it would be wastage of your money, because they charge a large amount of tuition fees and not arrange an interesting educational activities for their pupils.

Getting a job soon will help you to develop professional skills like good communication, cooperation, decision-making and teamwork skills for your overall growth. Additionally, job will offer you good salary budget, through which you can fulfil the needs of your family and raise their standard of living.

I think receptionist and teacher's job would be suitable for you as per your qualities and work efficiency. Moreover, you possess good command on an English language, have impressive personality, disciplined, responsible and able to work-under pressure situations. Hence, receptionist or teachers work placement would be convenient for you and it will allow you to achieve your targets and get a huge success in life.

I hope my suggestions will be helpful to you. Please let me know if you need other suggestions.

Best regards,

Twinkle

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state your position in favor of employment over college, provide reasons why college might not suit your friend, and offer specific job suggestions. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully developed; for instance, while you mention that universities focus on 'bookish knowledge,' you could briefly contrast this with the hands-on experience your friend prefers to make the argument more compelling.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each point, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'Also,' 'Therefore,' 'Additionally,' and 'Moreover' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the response. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the flow between sentences feels more natural rather than relying on standard list-like connectors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'professional career,' 'practical sessions,' and 'work-under pressure' are relevant. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'job career' (redundant), 'bookish knowledge' (slightly unnatural), and 'huge success' (a bit informal). You have a good command of general vocabulary, but incorporating more precise collocations or idiomatic expressions would elevate your writing to a higher band.

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 'forces them for memorization' (should be 'forces them to memorize'), 'not arrange an interesting educational activities' (should be 'do not arrange interesting educational activities'), and 'good command on an English language' (should be 'good command of the English language'). Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good and does not impede communication.

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

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