Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-03

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A friend of yours is thinking about applying for the same course that you did at university. He/She has asked for your advice about studying this subject. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• give details of the course you took at the university
• explain why you recommend the university
• give some advice about how to apply

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear .................. ,

Student answer (Band 7.5)

Dear Jay,

I hope this letter finds you in radiant health, I recently heard that you’re planning to study Master’s of chemical engineering at the University of Ottawa. I’ve completed this course last year and would like to share advice about studying here.

Firstly, I completed course based engineering, as it requires to complete 10 subjects in 2 years. The course has a perfect balance between practical and theoretical knowledge. The professor’s are highly qualified and has plethora of experiences in Canadian chemical industry. The chemical student engineering club is the focal point of contact and will provide all the details to future students to ease the enrolment.

Secondly, the campus is filled with trees, huge buildings and underground connected tunnels, which is quite helpful in Canadian winters. The East part of campus is situated in downtown and has plethora of restaurants to eat. Ottawa city has lowest crime rate in Canada, and as a capital it’s one of the safest city to live.

Furthermore, I would advice you to appear for an IELTS exam and apply as early as possible with a consultant from India. I’m attaching the checklist of documents needed to apply. Should you require more details, I’m happy to assist you.

I look forward to seeing you here.

Regards,

Alex.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: providing details about the chemical engineering course, explaining why the university is recommended, and offering advice on the application process. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and helpful persona throughout. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, providing specific details such as the course structure, campus features, and practical application tips. The response is well-structured and covers all requirements of the prompt effectively, ensuring the reader receives a comprehensive answer to their request for advice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each point, and a closing. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Furthermore' helps to guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to move beyond simple listing. However, the overall progression of ideas is clear, and the referencing is consistent throughout the text, making the letter easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good collocations like 'practical and theoretical knowledge' and 'focal point of contact'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing, such as using 'plethora of' twice in close proximity. There are also a few minor word-choice errors, such as 'completed course based engineering' (should be 'a course-based engineering program') and 'advice' used as a verb instead of the noun 'advise'. Despite these minor slips, the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The letter demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The professor’s are', 'has plethora of experiences') and punctuation errors (a comma splice in the first sentence). Additionally, there are minor errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'I’ve completed this course last year' (should be 'I completed') and 'safest city' (should be 'safest cities'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, and the writer shows a good command of sentence structure overall.

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