Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-23

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 Jasmine,

I hope this letter finds you well! The last time I saw you was at Neha's birthday party. I am writing to you because I am planning to sell my bicycle, and I thought you might be interested in buying it.

At Neha's party, I happened to overhear a conversation between you and John. You mentioned that you were looking for a second hand bicycle, so I thought you might be interested in mine. It is a ladybird 2025 model bicycle, which I bought last year Christmas for $800. I used it to travel to college for every day, but now my mom has gifted me a car, so no longer need it. Since the bicycle is only seven months old and has been well maintained, I am planning to sell it for $550.

Let me know if you are interested. I'd be happy to show you my bicycle whenever you are free. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

********

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: explaining why the bicycle is no longer used, providing a description, and justifying why the friend would want it. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and the purpose is clear from the outset. The ideas are well-developed, such as the mention of the specific model and the reason for selling it (the gift of a car). The response is fully relevant and covers all requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Ideas flow smoothly from the initial greeting to the specific details about the bike and finally the call to action. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the purpose of the letter from the descriptive details. Cohesive devices such as 'since', 'because', and 'whenever' are used correctly to link ideas, making the text easy to follow throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is natural and appropriate for the context of a friendly letter. You used specific terms like 'second hand', 'well maintained', and 'gifted', which demonstrate a good range. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it lacks a few more sophisticated or idiomatic expressions that would push the score into the 8.0+ range. However, there are no errors in word choice or collocation that impede communication, and the language is consistently precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The grammar is generally accurate with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. For example, 'I am writing to you because I am planning to sell my bicycle' is a well-constructed complex sentence. There are minor slips, such as 'I used it to travel to college for every day' (the 'for' is unnecessary) and 'no longer need it' (missing the subject 'I'). Despite these minor slips, the majority of sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is handled correctly throughout the letter.

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

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