Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28

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 Disha,

I hope this letter finds you in radiant health and the best of spirits. I know choosing between college or job is challenging situation. However, I am sharing some suggestion with you.

Firstly, I think that you would not enjoy going to college because you already completed masters degree. Moreover, its been two years you left the college. From my perspective, joining college would be not a good idea. I recommending you to find a field job that will give you work experience and enhance your skills. Additionally, after you will get salary, you feel independent. I believe this would great choice for you.

As you have Masters degree in Biochemistry, so you should apply for a position, such as Assistant Professor, Laboratory Technician, and Reasearch Associate. This type of work will provide you valuable experience and future opportunities.

I hope my advice help you to find your job.

Yours lovingly,

Prajakta

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt in a natural and friendly manner. The writer clearly addresses why the recipient might not enjoy college by pointing out that she already holds a master's degree and left college two years ago. Furthermore, the writer explains the benefits of getting a job, such as gaining practical work experience and financial independence. Finally, suitable job roles related to biochemistry, such as Assistant Professor, Laboratory Technician, and Research Associate, are explicitly suggested. The tone is appropriate for an informal letter to a friend, and the purpose of the communication is achieved effectively throughout the text, earning a solid band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The writer uses an appropriate informal greeting and sign-off, and structures the body paragraphs to move logically from why college is unsuitable to why a job is better, followed by specific job suggestions. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Additionally' are employed to link ideas, although some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is handled reasonably well, separating the introduction, main arguments, and conclusion adequately. Overall, the flow of information is clear and easy to follow, supporting the communicative purpose well.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms related to the prompt, such as 'radiant health', 'independence', and academic qualifications like 'Masters degree in Biochemistry'. Less common lexical items are attempted, including 'Assistant Professor' and 'Research Associate'. However, there are some minor word choice and collocation issues, such as 'challenging situation' instead of 'a challenging situation' and 'joining college' instead of 'going to college'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate to convey meaning clearly and allows for some flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and relative clauses ('a field job that will give you work experience'). There are, however, several noticeable grammatical errors and missing articles throughout the text. Examples include 'is challenging situation' (missing article), 'its been two years' (missing apostrophe in 'it's'), 'joining college would be not a good idea' (incorrect word order), 'I recommending you' (incorrect verb form), 'after you will get salary' (incorrect tense), and 'I hope my advice help' (subject-verb agreement error). While these errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher band, they do not impede overall communication.

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

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