Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25

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 7.5)

Dear Sarah,

I am delighted to hear from you again and I am pleased to know that you need my advice with learning a new sport.

I would recommend volleyball ball. Since our high school days at Toronto we both shared some common sport interests like playing the tennis and the basketball. It's always an unforgettable experience especially seeing how you always beat me to it.

Considering your busy work schedule, it would make more sense to register for the volleyball practice within your neighbourhood. I believe your neighbourhood provides such training and have the required facilities in place. Additionally I know a coach who trains really well, I could make the connection so you both can make a suitable arrangement on when to commence.

I have been considering learning volleyball, I enrolled at the neighborhood sport center last summer, however I had an accident that got my left hand dislocated which made me unable to proceed with training. If you don't mind, i would love to learn together with you this summer, it would be an amazing experience seeing high school friends play together once more. I will be expecting your feedback.

With love,

Ada

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You recommend volleyball, explain how to learn it through local facilities and coaching, and propose learning together. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose is clear throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the prompt. You have maintained a consistent and friendly persona, which is essential for General Training Task 1. No parts of the task were omitted, and the response flows logically from the initial greeting to the final suggestion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The email is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the recommendation to the practical details and finally the personal invitation. You use cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Since', and 'however' to link your thoughts effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for an informal letter, and the referencing is clear throughout. The structure supports the reader's understanding without any confusion or disjointed transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for an informal email. Phrases like 'unforgettable experience', 'commence', and 'required facilities' show a solid command of language. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'volleyball ball' (redundant) and 'beat me to it' (which is slightly misused in this context). However, these errors do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on more precise collocations and avoiding minor word-choice errors, such as using 'sport' as an adjective where 'sports' is more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'the tennis and the basketball' (articles are unnecessary here) and 'I am pleased to know that you need my advice with learning' (should be 'on learning'). Additionally, there is a minor punctuation error in 'Additionally I know' (needs a comma). Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and your meaning is always clear. The use of complex structures like conditional sentences ('If you don't mind...') is handled well.

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

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