Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-29

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You let a friend stay at your apartment while you were away on a trip. When you returned home, you discovered that a valuable possession was broken.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• describe the broken possession.
• explain why it is important to you.
• explain what you would like your friend to do.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 8.0)

Dear John,

I hope you had a great time staying at my place while I was away! It was a pleasure to have you there and I hope the apartment was comfortable.

However, I'm writing because I noticed something got back. The table has been cracked. It's blue and gold in color which is right by the mirror.

To be honest, I'm quite upset about it because it is really vital for me. It was a graduation gift from my grandmother, and she passed away last year, its one of the few things I have that reminds me of her.

Since the crack is clean, I think it might be possible to have it professionally restored. Would you mind looking into local repair shop and covering the cost of the fix? I'd really appreciate if we could get it back to its original condition.

Let me know what you think.

Regards,

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt effectively. You clearly described the broken item (a blue and gold table), explained its sentimental importance as a graduation gift from your late grandmother, and provided a clear request for a professional repair. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, maintaining a balance between friendliness and the seriousness of the situation. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is immediately clear to the reader. You have successfully fulfilled all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose: the opening establishes the context, the second paragraph details the issue, and the final paragraph provides the solution. You use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'To be honest', and 'Since' to link your thoughts effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal/semi-formal letter, and the flow of information is smooth and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'professionally restored' and 'original condition' are well-chosen and appropriate for the context. There are no significant errors in word choice that impede communication. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, incorporating a few more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions could elevate the response further. Overall, the lexical range is adequate for the task and shows good control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with generally good control. There are a few minor slips, such as 'I noticed something got back' (which is slightly unclear) and 'looking into local repair shop' (missing an article 'a'). However, these errors are infrequent and do not hinder the reader's understanding. Your use of punctuation and sentence variety is solid, and the majority of your sentences are error-free, which demonstrates a good command of English grammar.

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