Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-01

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 Pal,

I hope you are doing well. It has been such a long time since we had a coffee. I received your letter and writing to suggest focus on getting a job.

To begin with, you recently completed your computer engineering from the University of Toronto. Doing a further study is of no use, as you know the fundamentals of each subject. I suggest to complete certifications from websites such as Udemy, which will help you to work directly on industry projects and builds more credibility.

Getting a job nowadays is more crucial for your personal and professional growth. It gives you a direct hands-on experience with in-demand software such as MS Excel, MYSQL, and Power BI. In addition, you could network more efficiently and gain valuable experience in Canada by doing a job.

I would suggest, you focus on jobs which are related to software engineering, data analysis, and how can I not mention about AI. Your expertise in mathematics and problem solving are quite crucial to succeed.

Let's catch up on next Sunday at the Humber River food festival at 8 PM, to recall our school days while having a pizza. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm regards,

Neel Desai

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt, satisfying the requirements for a friendly letter. You adopt a clear position throughout by advising your friend against college and encouraging employment instead. You touch upon all bullet points: you mention why college might not be enjoyable or useful given that your friend already completed computer engineering, you explain the professional growth and hands-on software experience gained through a job, and you suggest appropriate fields like software engineering and data analysis. However, some ideas show a slight imbalance in development. While the suggestion regarding certifications and software tools is well supported, the explanation of why university studies are no longer beneficial is somewhat brief. To reach a higher band, all parts of the prompt would need equal extension and depth, ensuring every main point is fully explored with rich supporting details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your letter demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The opening sets a warm, friendly tone and clearly establishes the purpose of the correspondence. You structure the body paragraphs effectively, moving smoothly from your critique of further education to the benefits of employment, and finally to specific job suggestions before closing with a natural invitation. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as "To begin with," "In addition," and "How can I not mention about AI," which guide the reader easily through your arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, as each main idea is housed in its own distinct paragraph. To achieve an even higher band, referencing and transitions could be made slightly more fluid and less mechanical to ensure seamless connectivity between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less-common lexical items suited to the professional context, such as "fundamentals," "certifications," "credibility," and "expertise." Your word choices are generally clear and effectively communicate your meaning without impeding the reader. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing. For instance, writing "completed your computer engineering from" is slightly unnatural, and "suggest to complete certifications" contains an awkward verb pattern. Additionally, phrases like "doing a job" are a bit repetitive. To attain a higher band, you should incorporate a wider variety of precise phrasing and idiomatic expressions with greater control over word partnerships.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You make use of a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating your ability to construct compound and multi-clause sentences, such as in your opening and closing remarks. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication. Examples include missing articles or prepositions, such as "writing to suggest focus" instead of "writing to suggest focusing," and the structural awkwardness in "how can I not mention about AI." Verb tenses and forms are generally controlled, though occasional slips occur. To move to a higher band, you would need to produce a higher frequency of error-free complex sentences, demonstrating tighter command over syntax, prepositional usage, and grammatical patterns.

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

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