Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear friend,

I am writing this letter in response of your question about choosing between job and college. I think doing a job is a good idea.

I understand going to college is exiting for you, but with your financial situation you will always be short on money. After some time you will start to feel guilty about taking this decision.

Economists are saying there will be shortage of work after few years. If you get a job right now you will get experience as well as money for your expenses and savings. You can plan your college after getting some years of experience.

I would suggest you to go for the entry level accounting jobs, these will give you a foundation for your masters in accounting after few years. The accounting jobs also pays good money.

I hope this helps you in your decision making

yours faithfully

henry cavil

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly state why college might be problematic due to financial constraints, explain the benefits of working, and suggest accounting as a suitable field. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the point about 'shortage of work' is a bit vague and could have been expanded to better support your argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully extended with more specific reasoning or examples to provide a more comprehensive response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the introduction to the specific advice points and a closing statement. Paragraphing is used to separate the different ideas, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, you rely on simple transitions like 'I understand' and 'I would suggest'. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'On the other hand') to create a smoother flow between sentences and ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your advice clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'financial situation', 'entry level', and 'foundation'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'in response of' (should be 'in response to') and 'pays good money' (which is slightly informal). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and a slightly wider range of vocabulary to express your ideas with more sophistication and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'choosing between job and college' (missing articles), 'exiting' (spelling error for 'exciting'), 'after few years' (missing 'a'), and 'the accounting jobs also pays' (subject-verb agreement error). These errors occur frequently but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To move to a higher band, focus on proofreading for articles, subject-verb agreement, and spelling accuracy.

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

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