Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-01

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 8.0)

Dear Aman,

Hope you’re doing great. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I’m excited to tell you that I’m coming to your city Toronto next week for a business visit. I’ll be having some leisure time and planning to catch up with you.

The main purpose of my trip is to attend a three day business conference organized by my company. Although I’ll be quite busy during the day, I’ll have some time in the evenings and on the last day of my visit.

Since you have lived there for quite some time, I was wondering if you could recommend some interesting places to visit. I’d especially like to see some famous landmarks, try local food, and explore places that are popular with tourists. If you know of any hidden gems or less touristy spots, I’d love to hear about them too.

It would be great if we could spend some time together while I’m there. Perhaps we could go sightseeing, have dinner at a nice restaurant, or simply catch up over coffee. Let me know what you think and when you’re available.

I’m really looking forward to seeing you. Hope we can make some great memories together.

Best wishes,

Ramneet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly explain the purpose of your trip (a three-day business conference), ask for recommendations regarding sightseeing and local food, and extend a warm, clear invitation to your friend. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and informal register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is immediately clear to the reader. You have successfully covered all parts of the prompt in a natural and engaging manner.

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, moving smoothly from the purpose of the trip to requests for advice and finally the invitation. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Although', 'Since', and 'Perhaps', to link your ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the transition between the opening pleasantries and the main body of the letter is natural. The overall structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary that is appropriate for the context of a friendly letter. Phrases like 'catch up', 'hidden gems', and 'leisure time' are used naturally. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it stays within a relatively standard range. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions to add variety. However, the current usage is precise, and there are no errors in word choice that impede communication or cause confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

Your grammar is consistently accurate, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use a variety of tenses correctly, such as the present perfect ('It’s been a long time') and the future continuous ('I’ll be having'). Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are no significant errors that distract the reader. The majority of your sentences are error-free, showing a high level of control over English syntax. The writing is fluent and demonstrates a strong command of grammatical structures.

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

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