Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening.

• explain arrangements you have made for them to have keys and get into the house

• tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house

• say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening

Student answer (Band 8.0)

Dear Sarah,

I am very happy that you are coming to stay with me next week. I am sorry that I will not be at home when you arrive because I have to work until the evening. However, I have made some arrangements for you to get into the house.

I will leave a spare key with my neighbour, Mrs Brown, who lives in the house next to mine. When you arrive, please go to her house and tell her that you are my cousin. She will give you the key. After you enter my house, you can put your bags in the bedroom and make yourself comfortable.

From the train station, you can take the number 5 bus to my area. Get off at Green Street, which is about a five-minute walk from my house. My house is a white building with a small garden in front. I will also send you the address and the bus route on your phone.

I should be home at about 6:30 p.m. After you have had some rest, we could have dinner together. There is a nice Italian restaurant near my house. After dinner, we can walk around the neighbourhood and catch up.

I am looking forward to seeing you.

Best wishes,

Alex

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

Alex fully addresses all three bullet points required by the task prompt in a natural and appropriate semi-formal tone. First, the arrangements for the keys are clearly explained by stating, 'I will leave a spare key with my neighbour, Mrs Brown.' Second, detailed and clear directions from the train station are provided, including taking the number five bus and getting off at Green Street. Finally, Alex specifies the expected arrival time of 6:30 p.m. and suggests a practical evening plan: 'we could have dinner together... and catch up.' The purpose of the letter is completely achieved, the register is consistently friendly yet polite, and all ideas are well-developed without any omissions or irrelevant information. The response comfortably satisfies all criteria for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized and easy to follow from beginning to end. Alex uses paragraphing effectively, with each paragraph dedicated to a distinct aspect of the visit: greetings and key arrangements, transportation directions, evening plans, and a warm closing. Cohesive devices are used naturally and appropriately, such as 'However, I have made some arrangements,' 'When you arrive,' and 'After dinner.' Referencing is clear throughout, and the progression of ideas flows smoothly without any awkward transitions or confusion for the reader. The structural layout represents a well-managed piece of correspondence that demonstrates clear logical organization.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

Alex demonstrates an adequate and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for a personal letter. Common phrases like 'make yourself comfortable,' 'five-minute walk,' and 'catch up' are used naturally and accurately. While the vocabulary is not overly academic, it is precise and contextually appropriate. There are no spelling or word-choice errors. The writer attempts some less common expressions and collocation patterns successfully, such as 'spare key' and 'white building with a small garden.' The lexical range is fully sufficient to convey all intended meaning smoothly and fluently, meeting the descriptors for a solid band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures used accurately. Examples of complex structures include conditional or temporal clauses such as 'I am sorry that I will not be at home when you arrive because I have to work until the evening' and 'After you enter my house, you can put your bags in the bedroom.' The majority of sentences are completely error-free, demonstrating a firm control over punctuation, verb tenses, and agreement. Although the grammatical range leans towards standard descriptive structures rather than highly sophisticated or rare syntactic forms, the accuracy and clarity are consistently high, fully justifying a strong band score.

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

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