Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-04

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 Chris,

I hope you are doing well. I’d love to give you some advice on whether to choose higher studies or to get a job.

Firstly, I believe paying extra money for college tuition is not ideal, as a college degree does’nt guarantee you a job of your dreams. Although, higher studies do have it’s benefits but saving the money for your future goals would be a better choice.

Getting a job would give you better life standards as earning your own money at this age would teach you a lot of things. In addition, you would be able to take care of the medical bills for your parents as it has taken a toll on family financially.

Lastly, I suggest you start applying for IT jobs, as we all know you’re a computer geek from your childhood. I belive you would be a great candidate for this kind of job as you have a great passion for technology.

I hope you’ll take my advice and choose the right path for yourself. I will plan a get together next week so we can catch on our conversations.

Warm wishes,

Mavi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state why college might not be ideal, explain the benefits of working, and provide a specific suggestion for an IT career. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and your position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are slightly more developed; for instance, while you mention the financial toll on your parents, expanding on how a job provides specific professional skills would add more depth to your reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use transition signals such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'Lastly' to guide the reader through your arguments. The paragraphing is logical and helps the reader follow your train of thought. To improve, try to vary your cohesive devices; for example, instead of relying on 'Firstly' and 'Lastly', you could use more sophisticated linking phrases like 'Furthermore' or 'Considering these factors' to improve the flow between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'tuition', 'candidate', and 'passion'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and informal phrasing. For example, 'job of your dreams' is a bit clichéd, and 'catch on our conversations' is not a standard collocation; 'catch up on our conversations' would be more natural. To achieve a higher score, aim to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing, such as using 'job' multiple times in close proximity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'does’nt' (spelling/punctuation), 'it’s benefits' (incorrect possessive), and 'belive' (spelling). Additionally, the sentence 'Although, higher studies do have it’s benefits but...' contains a redundant conjunction structure. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and punctuation errors.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.