Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-13

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 Simran,

I hope you're doing well! I am excited to inform you that I have been selected and received an offer letter from my dream company which I have been trying for so long. Having said that, I will be moving to a new city closer to the company. Now, that I am moving out, I am selling out some of the furniture and things that I won't be taking along with me.

I have a branded bicycle that I recently bought for my Birthday. It is an athletic bike with 6 gears and comes with additional accessories for example, night headlights, water bottle holder and a detachable basket to store or carry things while travelling. Bicycle is in good condition and still has 2 years of warrenty.

I wanted to check if you are interested in buying this bicycle as I am aware you were looking to buy one in the last summers and due to tight budget you refused to purchase. I am selling this at a reasonable price. However, I am still open to negotiate. Let me know if you are keen to buy and then I can send you some pictures. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best Wishes,

Mahima

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three requested points clearly and develops them with relevant detail. You explain that the job offer means you are moving closer to the company, describe the bicycle’s gears and accessories, and connect the offer to Simran’s previous search and limited budget. The reasonable price and willingness to negotiate make the proposal practical and persuasive. The friendly opening and closing also suit the relationship and purpose. To make the explanation even more complete, clarify why the move means you cannot take the bicycle—for example, that you will have less space or will use other transport. This is a small omission; overall, the purpose and supporting details are well established.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The letter is organised in a clear sequence: your news and reason for selling, a description of the bicycle, and then the offer to your friend. Paragraphing supports this progression, while phrases such as “Having said that,” “Now that,” and “However” help connect ideas. The final request for a reply and offer to send pictures provide a natural ending. Some linking is slightly conspicuous or less smooth: “Having said that” does not express a strong contrast with the job offer, and “Now, that I am moving out” interrupts the sentence unnecessarily. More direct transitions would make the cohesion feel more flexible and natural, but the overall progression is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for a friendly sales letter, including relevant terms such as “detachable basket,” “reasonable price,” “negotiate,” and “keen to buy.” These choices communicate the bicycle’s features and the offer effectively, and the tone is generally appropriate. Some word choices and collocations are less natural, however: “selling out some of the furniture” would be better expressed as “selling some furniture,” while “in the last summers” is not idiomatic. “Athletic bike” is also imprecise for describing a bicycle’s style. There is a spelling error in “warrenty.” Greater accuracy with common collocations and product vocabulary would make the language more fluent and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response shows a useful mix of simple and more complex structures, including the relative clause in “which I have been trying for so long” and the conditional idea in “if you are interested.” Many sentences are clear and grammatically controlled, and punctuation generally supports the meaning. A few errors remain: “Now, that I am moving out” has an unnecessary comma, and “Bicycle is in good condition” needs an article (“The bicycle…”). In “I am aware you were looking,” adding “that” would make the clause structure clearer. The sentence beginning “I have a branded bicycle…” also shifts awkwardly into a list after “for example.” More consistent article use and cleaner sentence construction would strengthen accuracy.

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

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