Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have a bicycle that you are no longer using. You would like to sell it to a friend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• explain why you are no longer using your bicycle.
• describe your bicycle.
• explain why you think your friend would like to have it.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Tim,

Hope you're doing well, I'm just writing this letter to let you know that I'm selling my bicycle.

I've been riding my bicycle for more than a year, but unfortunately, I have to move countries for my studies, so in that case I think I will no longer need it sitting in my garage.

My bicycle is coated with mate blue and gives a finishing touch with red flames on side, also has gear shifters which are mostly rare to be found in bicycles. Both tyres are brand new and the brake paddles has been serviced.

Recently I saw a post on Facebook you're looking for a bicycle, so I thought of selling it for you much cheaper than others and also you are a very close friend of mine who is much more trustworthy and will take care of it as I did. My asking price is 100$. I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,

Heshan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained the reason for selling the bike (moving countries), provided a descriptive account of the bicycle's appearance and features, and explained why your friend would be a suitable buyer. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose of the communication is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail in the description of the bicycle to make the writing more vivid, but overall, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'but', 'so', and 'also' to link ideas. While the flow is generally good, the transition between the description of the bike and the reason for selling it could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal-informal letter format. To improve, try incorporating a wider variety of linking words or phrases to connect sentences more fluidly, as some of the current connections feel slightly mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'gear shifters' and 'serviced' are relevant to the topic. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'mate blue' (likely meant 'matte') and 'brake paddles' (should be 'brake levers' or 'pedals'). Additionally, 'mostly rare to be found' is slightly unnatural phrasing. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise descriptive adjectives and collocations would help elevate your score. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the majority of your sentences are clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'the brake paddles has been serviced' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'selling it for you' (should be 'selling it to you'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some comma splices, such as in the opening sentence. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of complex sentence structures to ensure they are error-free.

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

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