Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You are planning a business trip to another city. You will have some free time to do some sightseeing while you are there.
 

Write a letter to a friend who lives in the city you will visit. In your letter:
• explain the purpose of the trip.
• ask about things to do and see in the city.
• invite your friend to do something with you during your visit.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ____

Student answer (Band 7.5)

Dear Pam,

How are you? It has been a long time since we last spoke. I hope you are doing well. I am thrilled to tell you that I am coming for a business to New York next month.

The purpose of the trip is to attend meetings with our new clients. Since our company is planning to introduce our products in the United States, these clients will assist us to sell them in the market. So, I have prepared a presentation to present, which will give them an idea of our products. If I could convenience them for partnership with us, it would be a big success for the company.

I have meetings only in mornings, and I am free to explore the city after noon. So, I was thinking to visit some historical places and restaurants during my free time. I would appreciate it if you could suggest some important sites to explore and some food courts to try new food.

Since I have been meaning to get fitter myself, I would like to go for hiking with you if you are available for it. Moreover, I would be grateful if you could join me for dinner someday. Please let me know what you think.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Your friend,

PJ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the purpose of your trip (attending meetings with new clients), asked for recommendations regarding sightseeing and dining, and extended a clear invitation to your friend for hiking and dinner. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and informal style throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task requirements. You have provided enough detail to make the letter feel natural and complete, ensuring the reader understands both your professional obligations and your personal plans for the visit.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the structure easy to follow. You have used appropriate cohesive devices such as 'Since', 'Moreover', and 'So' to link your sentences and ideas effectively. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall flow of the letter. The transition between the professional purpose of the trip and your personal plans is smooth, and the closing is polite and standard for this type of correspondence.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary that is suitable for a semi-formal or informal letter. Phrases like 'thrilled to tell you', 'explore the city', and 'be grateful' are used correctly. However, there are a few minor word choice errors, such as 'coming for a business' (should be 'coming on a business trip') and 'convenience them' (should be 'convince them'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do prevent the vocabulary from reaching the highest band. Expanding your range to include more precise collocations would further enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear and grammatically sound. There are a few minor slips, such as 'meetings only in mornings' (missing the article 'the') and 'go for hiking' (should be 'go hiking'). Additionally, 'assist us to sell them' is slightly awkward; 'assist us in selling them' would be more natural. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation and tense usage is generally strong throughout the letter.

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

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