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,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I received your letter regarding your concern of whether to work or go to university.

Since you asked for my advice, I think you should look for a job instead. At this moment, I know that you are financially struggling, and going to uni means more tuition fees and more education loans.

At the moment, it's summer and many people are hiring as well. So, it will be easy to get a job as well. You can save up a little for studies as well if you wish to continue.

Knowing you from childhood, you have always been good at marketing the stuffs that you love. I think you should go for marketing. It will enhance your inner skills. But I highly recommend doing proper research of the company first before advertising their products.

I hope this letter helped you a little bit with your dilemma. Take care of yourself. Hope to hear from you soon.

Your Sincerely,

Sambridhi Silakar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly state why college might be a burden, explain the benefits of working, and suggest a specific career path in marketing. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and your position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, you could provide more depth in your explanation of why college would not be enjoyable beyond just the financial aspect, perhaps touching on the pressure or the desire for practical experience. Overall, the response is well-focused and fulfills the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Ideas progress smoothly from the problem (financial struggle) to the solution (working) and specific advice (marketing). You use basic cohesive devices like 'Since', 'At the moment', and 'But' to link your ideas. However, the paragraphing is slightly fragmented; the second and third paragraphs could be better integrated to improve flow. Using a wider variety of linking words or transition phrases would help move the text from a simple sequence of points to a more cohesive, fluid piece of writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'tuition fees', 'education loans', and 'dilemma' correctly. However, there are some instances of informal or imprecise word choices, such as 'marketing the stuffs' and 'inner skills'. 'Stuffs' is too informal and grammatically incorrect in this context, and 'inner skills' is slightly vague. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding overly casual language. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated synonyms for common words would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is generally effective. There are some minor errors, such as 'Your Sincerely' (should be 'Yours sincerely') and the phrasing 'doing proper research of the company' (should be 'researching the company'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more attention to detail in formal letter conventions and preposition usage. Your control of tense and subject-verb agreement is generally good, and the majority of your sentences are clear and easy to follow.

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

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