Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-29

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 Sarah,

I hope you're well! I'm writing because I have some exciting news — I'm going to be in Manchester next month and I would love to catch up.

The reason for my trip is work. Our company is organising a regional sales conference at the Central Convention Centre, and I've been asked to give a presentation on our new marketing strategy. The conference runs from 12th to 14th November, so I'll be in town for almost a week.

As I'll have a couple of free afternoons after the sessions, I was thinking it would be a perfect chance to do some sightseeing. Since you've lived there for years, I wanted to ask your advice. What would you recommend I shouldn't miss? Are there any good museums, markets, or neighbourhoods I should visit? I'm also keen to try some local restaurants if you have any favourites.

It would be great to see you while I'm there.

Take care,

dharti

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The candidate has fully and effectively addressed all three bullet points of the prompt. First, the purpose of the trip is clearly explained by mentioning a regional sales conference at the Central Convention Centre involving a presentation on a new marketing strategy. Second, the letter asks for recommendations regarding things to do and see, specifically mentioning museums, markets, neighbourhoods, and local restaurants. Third, a clear invitation is extended to the friend to catch up and spend time together during the visit. The tone is entirely appropriate for a friendly letter, and the ideas are well-developed and supported. The length requirement is fully met. Based on the official descriptors, this performance easily satisfies the requirements for Band 8.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear and natural progression of ideas from the opening greeting and purpose of the trip to sightseeing requests and the final invitation. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct functional purpose (greeting and news, work details, sightseeing questions, closing). Cohesive devices such as referencing ('The reason for my trip', 'As I'll have', 'Since you've lived there') are managed well and naturally without being intrusive. The overall structure flows smoothly, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 8 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient and natural range of vocabulary suitable for a semi-formal or informal letter. Expressions like 'exciting news', 'regional sales conference', 'keen to try', and 'catch up' are used accurately and appropriately. There are also attempts at less common phrasing such as 'perfect chance' and 'regional sales conference'. Word choice and collocations are natural throughout, and spelling is entirely accurate. The lexical range is ample for the task, supporting a solid Band 7.0 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The student exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or time-clause variations such as 'As I'll have a couple of free afternoons after the sessions, I was thinking it would be a perfect chance...' and 'Since you've lived there for years, I wanted to ask your advice.' Control of grammar and punctuation is strong, with the vast majority of sentences being completely error-free. The punctuation around clauses and contractions is handled accurately. This demonstrates the control and variety expected at Band 7.0 or 7.5.

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.