Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28
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 Aryan,
I hope you are doing great, man. I recently received your message that you're looking forward to learning a new sport. I couldn't believe at first that you were interested in sports. Lol! Anyways, it's good to learn new sports.
I would say Ice hockey is gonna be one of the best sports for you to learn. As you don't like to engage with large groups of people, there are small groups, and the audience is also small. Additionally, the arena is within walking distance from your house.
To take lessons, first you have to enroll online. Because they take only a limited number of aspirants. I know one of the instructors, who is very kind, and I know you're gonna be comfortable learning from him.
Exciting news for you is that I'm planning to take some lessons too. As you know I've holidays from work, therefore, we'll go together. Let's get ready for a new adventure. See you soon!
Best Regards,
Bran
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0
The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. Firstly, a specific sport is recommended ('Ice hockey') along with valid reasons suited to the friend's preferences regarding group size and location. Secondly, the letter clearly explains how to learn the sport by mentioning online enrollment due to limited spots and referencing a kind instructor. Finally, the third bullet point is fully met with the suggestion that both friends learn the sport together during upcoming holidays. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend, and all parts of the prompt are well-developed and communicated clearly without any omissions. Therefore, this performance easily meets the requirements for a Band 8 under Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0
The email is logically organized with a clear overall progression. Ideas are grouped into sensible paragraphs, starting with an informal greeting and opening remarks, moving on to the sport recommendation and learning method, and concluding with the joint proposal and sign-off. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'To take lessons', and 'As you know' are used effectively to guide the reader through the text. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, maintaining a natural flow typical of a semi-formal or informal correspondence. Referencing is clear throughout, and there are no disruptions to the logical flow of ideas, reflecting the characteristics of a strong Band 8 performance.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.0
The candidate demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary appropriate for an informal email, including phrases like 'looking forward to', 'engage with large groups', 'within walking distance', and 'aspirants'. While some expressions are slightly colloquial or conversational (e.g., 'Lol!', 'gonna'), they fit the register of writing to a friend. There are occasional slight awkwardness in word choices, such as using 'aspirants' instead of 'applicants' or 'spots', but these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and shows some flexibility, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0
The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'As you don't like to engage with large groups of people, there are small groups...' and 'As you know I've holidays from work, therefore, we'll go together'). Grammatical control is generally quite good, with many error-free sentences. However, there is a minor punctuation error with a comma splice ('As you know I've holidays from work, therefore, we'll go together') and some conversational contractions. The majority of sentences are accurate and well-constructed, supporting a solid Band 7 rating for grammatical range and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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