Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 Jaivik,

I hope this letter finds you well. Its been a long time since we last spoke.

Recently, I received your letter regarding a decision whether to join a college or get a job. I would recommand that you should choose the later option. To be honest, I do not think you would enjoy the college as those colleges mainly focus on theory based subjects than practical based subjects. As a result, you will get bored and, it will waste your time. On other side, you can try to get a job because the job market is booming and you can easily find decent package with your skills.

I think, you would like jobs which are based on development because of your strong foundations in development subjects. Laslty, you have made some projects on it as well which might help you in interview.

If you still have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Yours truly,

Sam Mistry

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task prompt. You clearly state your position right away in the second paragraph by recommending the job option instead of college ('I would recommand that you should choose the later option'). You adequately explain why your friend would not enjoy college by pointing out that theoretical subjects lead to boredom and wasted time. Furthermore, you give a clear reason for getting a job, mentioning the booming job market, and you suggest a specific type of work related to development based on your friend's background and previous projects. The ideas are relevant and appropriate for a semi-formal letter to a friend. The purpose is clear from beginning to end, fulfilling all bullet points effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear and logical progression throughout, moving smoothly from the opening pleasantries to the main advice, reasons, and a closing sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, such as the advice against college in one paragraph and the job suggestions in the next. Cohesive devices like 'To be honest', 'As a result', 'On other side', and 'If you still have any questions' are used to connect ideas, though some referencing and phrasing are slightly unnatural, such as 'the later option' instead of 'the latter option' and 'On other side' instead of 'On the other hand'. Overall, the organization is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common lexical items such as 'recommand' (spelled incorrectly as recommend), 'booming', 'foundations', and 'decent package'. However, there are some noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'Its' instead of 'It's' or 'It has', 'recommand' instead of 'recommend', 'later' instead of 'latter', and missing articles such as 'in interview' instead of 'in an interview'. Despite these slips, the vocabulary communicates the intended message clearly without impeding understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses ('If you still have any questions, don't hesitate...') and causal clauses ('as those colleges mainly focus on...'). There are several grammatical and punctuation errors present, such as the missing apostrophe in 'Its been a long time', an unnecessary comma before 'it will waste your time', and omitting the article before 'interview'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the majority of simple sentences are accurate, showing a fair level of control over basic grammar.

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

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