Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-08

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 7.0)

Dear Robin,

I hope you are doing well. I'm glad you werte able to stay at my apartment while I was away. However, when I returned home, I noticed that my expensive watch had been broken.

Its is a silver watch that I bought two years ago froim well know brand dulex. The glass is cracked, and the strap is also damaged. Although it may be possible to repair it, I was quite shocked and upset when I saw its condition.

The watch is crucial for me because I have bought it with my one year saving. It has great sentimental value, so replacing with new one would not really make up for the loss. I understand that accidents can happen, and I am not blaming you for what happened.

Could you please let me know what happened and if possible, take it to an authorised repair shop for an assessment? I would appreciate it if you could cover the repair cost, as I believe that damage occured while you staying at my apartment. Please let me know estimated cost before proceeding with expensive repairs.

I hope we can sort it out mutally without effecting our friendship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards

Saurav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, considerate purpose. You describe the watch as silver, with cracked glass and a damaged strap; explain both its financial and sentimental importance; and make a specific request for your friend to arrange an assessment and cover the repair cost. The line “I am not blaming you” helps keep the tone tactful, while asking to know the estimated cost before expensive work begins makes the request practical. The ideas are extended with relevant detail, though the watch’s personal significance could be made more specific—for example, by explaining why it is sentimental. A little more detail about what you expect if it cannot be repaired would also make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The letter is organised in a clear sequence: a friendly opening, a description of the damage, an explanation of the watch’s value, and a request followed by a courteous closing. Paragraphing supports this progression, and links such as “Although,” “because,” and “I understand” help show how the ideas relate. The reader can follow the purpose throughout without difficulty. To make the cohesion more polished, avoid placing several requests in one paragraph without clearly distinguishing them: you ask what happened, request an assessment, ask your friend to pay, and set a limit on repair costs. Separating or more explicitly linking these steps would make the practical arrangement easier to follow. The closing also repeats the wish to resolve the matter amicably, but remains appropriate.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a personal letter, including relevant terms such as “sentimental value,” “authorised repair shop,” “assessment,” and “repair cost.” These choices communicate the situation clearly, and the tone is generally tactful. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “wer te,” “froim,” “dulex,” “mutally,” and “effecting.” Some phrases are also awkward or incomplete, such as “with my one year saving” and “replacing with new one.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit the naturalness and control expected at a stronger level. Proofread spelling carefully and learn common collocations for money, replacement, and repair to make the vocabulary more accurate and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

There is a useful mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled, such as “I understand that accidents can happen, and I am not blaming you for what happened.” The conditional request, “Could you please let me know what happened and if possible, take it…,” also shows an attempt to use more varied structures. Some grammatical errors remain, however: “Its is a silver watch” has an incorrect subject form, “replacing with new one” lacks a complete construction and article, and “while you staying at my apartment” needs a finite verb form. The sentence beginning “I would appreciate it if…” is understandable but would benefit from clearer clause structure. These errors rarely obstruct meaning; careful checking of articles, verb forms, and sentence completeness would improve accuracy.

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

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