Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-02

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 7.0)

Dear Sam,

I wanted to let you know that I will be coming to your city for a business trip. I will like to do some sight seeing of the city while I am around, so as to enjoy some of the good views. I hope I could tour the city with you. I got a promotion with the company I currently work for, and they requested I complete a compulsory training for the new role. I was excited to find out that the first and second week of the training will be in your city.

It has been a really long time since I had last visited you. I am sure, there has been a lot of changes to the city. I have already been looking into some new activities and places we could see together while I am around but it would be best to get some recommendations from you since you would know the city best.

I heard they have various options of food, with the diversity of people living there. I would like to visit some of the restaurants with you while I will be around. I am really looking forward to enjoying some good food while catching up on all the stories you have for me.

Best wishes,

Gideon Njoku

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task. The purpose of the trip is clearly explained through the context of a company promotion and compulsory training, and the requirement to ask about things to do and see is met when asking for recommendations. Furthermore, the invitation to the friend to join in activities and visit restaurants is well integrated. All bullet points are appropriately addressed and supported with relevant details, such as mentioning catching up on stories and trying diverse food options. The ideas are extended and supported effectively throughout the letter, reflecting a clear communicative purpose and maintaining an appropriate semi-formal tone suitable for writing to a friend, placing it well within the expected standards for this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are grouped reasonably well into paragraphs, moving smoothly from the announcement of the trip and purpose to asking for recommendations and suggesting dining together. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as 'I have already been looking into' and 'I heard they have various options', although there is some minor mechanical referencing, such as in the opening sentences where the sequence of ideas could flow more tightly. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the reader can easily follow the progression of the message from start to finish without confusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'compulsory training', 'diversity of people', and 'recommendations'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing. For instance, writing 'sight seeing' as two words instead of one, and 'I will like to do' instead of 'I would like to do', alongside 'while I will be around', demonstrate limitations in precise lexical control. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the range to an adequate level rather than allowing it to reach higher bands of precision and naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over structures such as relative clauses and conditional-style time frames like 'while I am around'. There are some grammar errors present, such as the tense slip in 'since I had last visited you' instead of 'since I last visited you', and prepositional or verbal inaccuracies like 'while I will be around'. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the majority of sentences to remain clear. Punctuation is generally controlled, contributing to a coherent flow, although grammatical accuracy still shows minor lapses that prevent it from achieving a higher rating.

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

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