Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-25

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 Ahmed,

I am writing this letter regarding my advice about whether you should go to a college or get a job. Based on my understanding, I will suggest that you should hunt for a job as it is more feasible option for you.

Firstly, I would like to clarify any wrong expectations that you might have regarding attending a college. If you think that having a college degree is enough for you to secure a bright future then it is not the case. Only thing that matters in the current job market is a required set of skill, which unfortunately is something rare to learn at college.

Having a job suits you well, as it will not only be a source of yours finiancial backing but at the same time it will help you in learning those skills which you might need in your future careers. Skills like good communication, time-management and negotiation will take you a long way ahead compared to your other peers.

In my opinion, having a job that involves direct interaction with the client would be more suitable for you. You are both expressive and confident owing to which I believe you already have a strong basis in such job roles.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Zain

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all bullet points of the task. You successfully explain why your friend might not enjoy college by pointing out that a degree does not guarantee a secure future and that practical skills are missing. You clearly explain why getting a job is beneficial for financial backing and skill-building. Finally, you suggest a suitable type of job involving direct client interaction, matching your friend's expressive and confident personality. Your tone is appropriately friendly and conversational for a General Training letter, and your ideas are fully developed and well-supported throughout the writing. The requirements of the task have been met very effectively, and your position is clear and maintained from the beginning to the end of the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

Your letter is well-organized with a clear overall logical progression. You use appropriate paragraphing, dividing your thoughts naturally into an introduction, reasons against college, reasons for a job, specific job suggestions, and a polite sign-off. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Having a job suits you well', and 'In my opinion' are used effectively to guide the reader through your arguments. Referencing is clear throughout the text, ensuring that the transitions between paragraphs and ideas are smooth and easy to follow. While cohesion is well managed, it occasionally relies on standard linking phrases rather than more sophisticated, seamless cohesive mechanisms, which places this response comfortably at the Band 7 level.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary with some attempts at less common and flexible expressions, such as 'secure a bright future', 'feasible option', and 'financial backing'. However, there are a few lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as writing 'a required set of skill' instead of 'skills' (singular/plural mismatch) and 'source of yours finiancial backing' containing a spelling error ('finiancial') and redundant pronoun usage ('yours'). Despite these occasional errors, your vocabulary is varied enough to convey your precise meaning without impeding communication, showing good awareness of the informal yet advisory tone required for a letter to a friend.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You display a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional sentences ('If you think that... then it is not the case') and relative clauses ('which you might need in your future careers'). There are several error-free sentences, demonstrating a reasonable level of grammatical control. However, a few persistent errors remain, such as 'more feasible option' (missing an article 'a'), 'Only thing that matters' (missing 'The'), and 'skill' instead of 'skills'. Punctuation is generally accurate, and your grammatical errors do not impede communication, allowing the reader to understand your message easily. The grammatical range and accuracy fit the Band 6.5 profile well.

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