Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Your English-speaking friend who lives in your town has asked for your advice about learning a new sport. Write an email to your friend. In your email:

• recommend a new sport that would be suitable for your friend to learn
• explain how your friend could learn this sport
• suggest that you both learn this sport together

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

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

 

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Roop,

I hope this email finds you in the best of health.

I am writing today to suggest learning squash, since you had asked my advice about learning a new sport in our previous conversation. Squash can be a very good choice to fit in your active lifestyle routine. Being your friend, I know how much you love to stay active by workouts in gym, running etc. and stay in good shape. That's why adding sqaush to your routine would help you achieve your daily cardio goals easily.

Learning squash would be easy for you as you are already comfortable in playing lawn tennis. You would be hitting the squash ball to the wall and alternate with your partner. The gymnasium near the town center was recently renovated, and they have installed the new squash courts with all the equipment available for rent.

As for the partner to learn this sport, how about we both get the membership and learn it together? I have played squash a few times with my friends when I was in University. It would also be a fun hangout for both of us since we do not get enough time from our busy lives to get together often.

Let me know what do you think about my suggestion. I am looking forward towards response from you

Best Regards

Gurkirat

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

You address all three points clearly: squash is recommended, the renovated courts and rental equipment offer a practical way to start, and you invite your friend to learn with you. The advice is well supported by personal details, especially the link to your friend’s tennis experience and active lifestyle. Your explanation of how to play—hitting the ball against the wall and taking turns with a partner—also makes the suggestion concrete. The purpose and friendly relationship are clear throughout. To make the response even more complete, develop the learning plan slightly further, for example by suggesting beginner lessons or a first session together; the current explanation focuses more on the venue and basic play than on instruction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The email has a clear progression: you introduce the recommendation, explain why it suits your friend, describe where to play, and then suggest going together. Paragraphing supports these distinct stages, and links such as “That’s why,” “As for,” and “It would also” help the reader follow your reasoning. The personal details also connect the recommendation to the invitation. Some transitions and phrasing are less smooth, however: “As for the partner to learn this sport” sounds awkward, and the closing moves abruptly from the invitation to “Let me know what do you think.” A more natural transition and a conventional sign-off would make the organisation feel more polished and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough vocabulary to explain the sport and make the email personal, including “active lifestyle,” “cardio goals,” “renovated,” and “membership.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally appropriate for a friend. However, some collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “fit in your active lifestyle routine,” “stay active by workouts in gym,” and “get enough time from our busy lives.” There is also a spelling error in “sqaush.” These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit the naturalness and precision of the language. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling, especially for the key topic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “since” and a conditional-style suggestion with “how about we both get the membership.” Most of the message remains easy to understand. Some grammatical errors are present, though: “you had asked my advice” would more naturally be “you asked me for advice,” while “comfortable in playing” should be “comfortable playing” or “comfortable with playing.” The closing question, “Let me know what do you think,” uses question word order inside an indirect question; write “Let me know what you think.” There are also missing articles in “in gym” and “in University.” Reviewing prepositions, articles, and indirect-question structure would improve accuracy.

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

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