Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-22

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 Mate,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing you because I have decided to sell and get rid of my bicycle and I immediatley thought of you as a perfect buyer!

The reason I am selling my bike is because I have relocated to downtown and my workplace is closer to where i live and so I find myself walking everywhere because everythings is close by and accessible within short distance. Also, in downtown subway train commute is more preferable and hence my bike is sitting in a storage and gathering dust.

To give you quick description, I purchased my bike last year, it's chic shiny solid black and a gear bike with medium seat which would be perfect for your height. The features are lightweight with durable tires. I believe it will be ideal for you as you once mentioned you go for run in park and with dog it would be easier if you had bike. I am thinking to sell it for 150$ but may be we can talk about it over a coffee and you can come over for test ride.

Warm regards,

Bobbie.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three points clearly: you explain that moving downtown and having a nearby workplace has made cycling unnecessary, describe the bike’s age, colour, gears, seat and tyres, and connect it to your friend’s park outings with their dog. The offer of a price and a test ride also makes the letter purposeful and gives your friend a clear next step. The reasons and description are supported with relevant detail, although the benefit to your friend is less fully explained: clarify how the bicycle would help on those outings, rather than assuming it would be easier. The friendly tone suits a letter to a friend; a more natural opening using their name would make the relationship feel more specific.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear progression from the reason for writing, to why you no longer need the bicycle, to its features and suitability for your friend. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Also” and “hence” help show how the ideas relate. The final invitation to discuss the price and try the bike is an effective close. Some connections are less smooth: the long sentence about moving downtown combines several reasons, and “The features are lightweight with durable tires” does not connect the description naturally. Use clearer sentence boundaries and transitions, and make references such as “it” unmistakably refer to the bicycle. This would make the organisation feel more consistently controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for the purpose, including descriptive terms such as “solid black,” “lightweight” and “durable,” as well as phrases like “gathering dust” that suit the informal tone. The vocabulary communicates the bicycle’s condition and your reasons for selling it. Some choices and combinations are imprecise or unnatural, however: “gear bike” could be expressed more clearly as “geared bicycle,” and “go for run in park” needs more natural phrasing. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “immediatley” and “everythings.” These do not prevent understanding, but careful proofreading and more precise collocations would improve flexibility and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including the explanation beginning “The reason I am selling my bike is because…” and the sentence linking your friend’s running and dog to the bicycle. The main message remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “I am writing you” needs a preposition (“writing to you”), and “everythings is close by” has an agreement and form problem. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention in “To give you quick description” and the long sentence beginning “The reason I am selling…”. Aim to control these patterns while retaining complex sentences: divide the longer explanations, check subject–verb agreement, and review articles and prepositions.

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

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