Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-04

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 7.5)

Dear Kapil,

I hope you are doing well. I'd like to hear from you about your stay at my place and also ask you about a mishap happened with my laptop.

When I returned home from the vacation, I was baffled with the sight of the broken laptop and its shattered screen with pieces spreading all over the floor. It was an expensive laptop that is hard to get because it was a limited edition and is not being manufactured now.

It was an important device for me as I was using it for my office work and to play games at my leisure time. Having saved money for three years, I bought that marvelous device after a long waiting period. I cannot afford to lose it or even repair it by my own.

I am desperate to know that what happened while you were here because no one else entered in my apartment after you had left. And also, I request you to help me with the repairing as it is costly and unaffordable by only me.

I am waiting for your text.

Kind regards,

Nishant

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: describing the broken laptop, explaining its significance, and requesting action. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, balancing personal concern with the seriousness of the situation. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the explanation of why the laptop is important due to its limited edition status and the personal effort taken to acquire it. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the request for assistance is stated directly. The response is fully relevant to the prompt and maintains a consistent focus throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which aids readability. Cohesive devices such as 'When I returned home', 'It was an important device', and 'And also' are used effectively to link ideas. The progression of information is smooth, moving from the discovery of the damage to the explanation of its value, and finally to the request for resolution. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, making the letter easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. Phrases like 'baffled with the sight', 'shattered screen', and 'limited edition' demonstrate a good range. There are some minor awkward collocations, such as 'mishap happened with my laptop' (should be 'mishap that happened') and 'unaffordable by only me' (should be 'unaffordable for me alone'). However, these do not impede communication. The writer shows an ability to use descriptive language to convey the situation effectively, which is well-suited to the informal yet serious nature of the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are occasional grammatical slips, such as 'no one else entered in my apartment' (should be 'entered my apartment') and 'I am desperate to know that what happened' (should be 'I am desperate to know what happened'), the majority of sentences are error-free. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the control over verb tenses is consistent with the narrative requirements of the task. The errors present are minor 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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