Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-02

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 Sharon,

I hope you're doing well. I am writing this letter to inform you that I will be visiting your city next month for a business trip. My company is expanding its new ventures to New York, where you are currently residing. In between, I will have some time to spend with you and we can go for sightseeing together.

Therefore, it would be great if you could plan an itinerary for us. Before you do so, could you please share some of your recommendations for food and museums? I would love to shortlist a few as per my interests because these are the only things that I am picky about.

Not to mention, I really want to go clubbing with you. It will help me divert my mind from work for some time. I am really looking forward to seeing you soon and spending some quality time together after so long.

Best wishes,

Komal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the purpose of the trip (business expansion), a request for sightseeing recommendations, and an invitation to spend time together. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and informal register throughout. The ideas are clearly presented and the purpose of the communication is immediately obvious. The response is well-structured and covers all requirements of the prompt effectively, ensuring the reader understands both the context of the visit and the specific requests being made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the purpose of the visit to specific requests and finally to the invitation. Cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Before you do so', and 'Not to mention' are used effectively to link sentences and ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sections of the letter, making the text easy to follow and coherent throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is natural and appropriate for the context of a letter to a friend. Phrases like 'expanding its new ventures', 'shortlist a few', and 'divert my mind' demonstrate a good range of vocabulary. While the language is functional and clear, it could be further enhanced by incorporating more idiomatic expressions or slightly more sophisticated collocations to reach the highest band. However, the current range is sufficient to convey the message with precision and ease, and there are no errors in word choice that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The letter displays a good variety of sentence structures, including complex sentences such as 'I would love to shortlist a few as per my interests because these are the only things that I am picky about.' Grammar is generally accurate, with correct use of verb tenses and punctuation. There are no significant errors that hinder understanding. The control over sentence structure is consistent, and the writing flows naturally, which is characteristic of a high level of grammatical competence.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.