Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-12

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 7.5)

Dear Neha,

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to let you know that I planning to sell my bicycle, and I immediately thought of you because you were looking for the one.

The main reason I am not using it is because I recently bought a car for my daily commute. Since then my bicycle is sitting in the garage and I felt it would be better if someone could make good use of it.

It is blue color mountain bike that is nine months old and still in excellent condition. It has 21 gears, heavy tyres, and comfortable suspension, making it suitable for both highways and countryside roads. Also I have serviced it every alternative week so that it can work smoothly.

I think you would really enjoy having it because you cycle to your high school regularly and you mentioned me that you are willing to join your community cycling club. I will offer it you on the lower price

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explain the reason for selling the bike (purchasing a car), provide a detailed description of the bicycle (blue, 21 gears, suspension), and explain why it would be suitable for your friend (her commute and interest in a cycling club). The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a friendly and informal style throughout. The purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning, and all requirements of the task are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'The main reason', 'Also', and 'I think' to link your thoughts. While the transition between the final two sentences is slightly abrupt, the overall structure is coherent. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the introduction, body points, and the closing, which contributes to the overall readability of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'daily commute', 'excellent condition', and 'community cycling club' are well-chosen and appropriate for the context. There are some minor errors, such as 'blue color mountain bike' (should be 'blue-colored') and 'on the lower price' (should be 'at a lower price'). However, these errors do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more varied descriptive adjectives or idiomatic expressions suitable for an informal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are a few grammatical slips, such as 'I planning' (missing 'am'), 'looking for the one' (the 'the' is unnecessary), and 'mentioned me' (should be 'mentioned to me'). Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are clear and error-free. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain the reader's interest. The errors present are non-systematic and do not cause any confusion for the reader.

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

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