Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-27

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 Liam,

Hi! How're you? I hope this letter finds you in good spirits! I'm just writing in response to your letter seeking my advice on taking up a new sport.

I think you should learn playing cricket, as you really enjoy team sports. Also, it would be suitable for your weekly schedule, as most of the games are played on weekend, so you don't have to worry about dedicating extra time to this game.

To learn this support, you can contact a Lions Club in Brampton, they are having the best coaches as compared to nearby cities. Although it needs a plenty of energy on the field, I believe with your strong will-power, you would definitely be able to become expert in no time. Moreover, you can practice at home anytime in your garage, and it will help you achieve your desired target.

If you're ok, why don't you join me? I go for playing cricket every Sunday, and it will be pretty fun, if you join me. Just text me, and let me know your thoughts about this.

Let's catchup on coffee someday!

Warm regards,

Andrew

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You recommended cricket, explained how to learn it by contacting a local club, and invited your friend to join you. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail in your explanations, such as describing why cricket is particularly enjoyable or what specific skills your friend might gain. Overall, the response is well-structured and fully satisfies the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The email is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific part of the prompt. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'Also', 'Although', 'Moreover', and 'If you're ok' to link your ideas effectively. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the recommendation to the practical advice and finally the invitation. The paragraphing is appropriate for an informal letter. The flow is natural, and the relationship between sentences is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for an informal context, such as 'in good spirits', 'taking up', 'will-power', and 'desired target'. There are a few minor collocation errors, such as 'learn playing cricket' (should be 'learn to play cricket') and 'support' instead of 'sport'. However, these do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more idiomatic expressions or precise collocations related to sports to show a wider range of lexical flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'most of the games are played on weekend' (should be 'on the weekend') and 'become expert' (should be 'become an expert'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the informal tone is maintained well. The errors present are non-systematic and do not cause any confusion for the reader, which is consistent with a high band score.

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