Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-25

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 8.0)

Dear Raj, how have you been? I’m writing in response to your letter mentioning your request for advice on learning a new sport, and I would love you to assist with that!

Since you’re more health-conscious and I heard that you’re focusing on losing weight too, I’d suggest starting to learn swimming, given that it is one of the best forms of exercise that will not only help you to be fit, but also is life-mandatory skills that everyone should learn.

Fortunately, the government is running free swimming classes near my home, where certified instructors educate learners about techniques to learn this sport every weekend in the morning. So, you can join the club to improve your swimming skills. However, you’ll have to fill out the form that opens on the first Monday of every month to confirm your seat.

In fact, I have already filled it out for the main. If you’re interested in learning this activity, let me know; I can guide you through the whole process. It will be a fun activity along with learning, and we can spend time together weekly.

Let me know quickly, so I can start submitting information to reserve your seat in the club. Lots of love to you and your parents. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Your friend,

Milan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. You recommended swimming, explained the process of joining the local club, and invited your friend to join you. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the email is clear throughout. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the practical details regarding the registration process. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening is more natural; for instance, saying 'I would love you to assist with that' is slightly confusing, as you are the one providing the advice. Overall, you have fulfilled the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The email is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You use cohesive devices such as 'Since', 'Fortunately', and 'However' to link your sentences and ideas effectively. The progression of information is smooth, moving from the recommendation to the practical steps and finally the invitation. The use of referencing is generally clear, though ensure that pronouns consistently point to the correct antecedents to maintain this high level of clarity throughout your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for this task, such as 'health-conscious', 'certified instructors', and 'reserve your seat'. The language is natural and fits the context of an informal email. There are a few minor awkward phrasings, such as 'life-mandatory skills' (which should be 'essential life skills') and 'filled it out for the main' (which is unclear). Despite these minor slips, your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message with precision and style. Expanding your use of idiomatic expressions could further enhance the natural flow of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'If you’re interested in learning this activity, let me know'. Your control of grammar is generally strong, with most sentences being error-free. There are a few minor slips, such as 'is life-mandatory skills' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'I’m writing in response to your letter mentioning your request' (which is slightly wordy). However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. You show a good command of punctuation and sentence variety, which supports a solid band score.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.