Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-05

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 John,

It was great to receive your letter for advice and I hope you're doing well. I know you're concerned about whether you should go to college again for your post graduation or look for a job. In my perspective, you should find a job.

These days, people who have done the post graduation are finding difficulty in finding a job with handsome salary. They thought spending two more years in college for higher education would help them to get a better pay job. Instead, they are also offered the same range of salary as compared to the bachelor's degree holders. So later on, you are going to regret on you decision for going to college. It'd be best for you to get a job and focus on your skills for promotions.

Since you have done graduation in "Data Science", the most suitable jobs for you would be Data Scientist, Data Analyst or Business Analyst. You can do some research on these jobs and pick the most appropriate one according to you.

I hope my suggestions would help you to take you out of your two minds. Looking forward to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Ranjit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state your position in favor of employment over further education, explain the potential lack of financial return on a post-graduate degree, and provide specific job titles relevant to the friend's background in Data Science. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. To reach a higher band, you could further develop the reasoning behind why he would not enjoy college, perhaps by mentioning the stress of exams or the desire for practical experience, rather than focusing solely on salary outcomes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Instead', 'Since', and 'So', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraph is slightly abrupt. To improve, ensure that the connection between the general advice about the job market and the specific job recommendations is more fluidly linked through better use of cohesive markers or a more integrated concluding sentence in the second paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'post graduation', 'bachelor's degree holders', and 'Data Analyst' are relevant and accurate. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'regret on you decision' (should be 'regret your decision') and 'take you out of your two minds' (an unnatural idiom; 'help you make up your mind' would be more standard). Expanding your range to include more sophisticated collocations would help elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'people who have done the post graduation are finding difficulty in finding a job' is slightly repetitive and awkward. You also have errors with articles ('the post graduation') and prepositions ('regret on you decision'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will improve your accuracy.

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

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