Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The younger sister of one of your friends is thinking about spending a year studying abroad as part of her university course. You did this recently, and she has asked you about your experience.
Write a letter to your friend's sister. In your letter
tell her where you studied during your year abroad
describe what you learnt about the country you studied in
explain why your year abroad was helpful for your studies
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear........,
Student answer (Band 7.0)
Hello Pal,
How are you doing lately? It’s been such a long time since we had a coffee. I’m over the moon after hearing about your enthusiasm to study at the University of Ottawa. I received your message and as I’ve completed my masters of engineering here, I would like to share my experiences.
Firstly, this university is one of the best in Canada. Ottawa is Canada’s capital, and the city is filled with French people as well. The university campus is spread across the downtown. Also, there are plethora of Indian food options too. That’s not all, I’m super impressed with the work culture, I believe you’ll learn a lot here and grow professionally and personally.
Plus, I made a perfect choice to study abroad specially here in Canada, as the teaching culture and exposure to Industry and professor’s are simply the best. I’m working in construction industry and my skill-set directly applies to real world.
Do you remember our classmate Karina? She is also in town and we’ll go out and eat our favourite Punjabi food.
I wish you all the best, and keep me updated with your status.
Catch you soon.
Thanks,
Neel.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0
You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated where you studied (University of Ottawa), described the country (mentioning the capital, French influence, and food), and explained the benefits for your studies (teaching culture and industry exposure). The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister, maintaining a friendly and informal register throughout. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. No parts of the prompt were omitted, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use transition words such as 'Firstly', 'Also', and 'Plus' to guide the reader through your points. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate different topics. However, the connection between the final paragraph about your friend Karina and the rest of the letter is somewhat abrupt and does not contribute to the main purpose of the letter. Despite this minor issue, the flow of information is generally smooth and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, such as 'over the moon', 'enthusiasm', 'professional and personal growth', and 'skill-set'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'there are plethora of' (should be 'there is a plethora of') and 'specially here' (should be 'especially here'). You also use some informal language that fits the context well. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic or descriptive vocabulary related to your field of study or the experience of living abroad.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'professor’s are' should be 'professors are' (no apostrophe for plural), and 'I’m working in construction industry' requires an article ('the construction industry'). Additionally, 'as I’ve completed my masters' is slightly awkward; 'having completed' or 'since I completed' would be more natural. Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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