Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-07

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)

Dear Samara,

I hope you are in radiant health and best of spirits. I am writing this letter in response to your queries I received in a letter yesterday.

I was enrolled in the University of Montreal and I did a masters course majoring in Artificial Intelligence and data science. The university offer a wide range of course to select from. Since you have already completed your bachelors degree in Software engineering, you can apply for any masters programme in the related field.

While studying in the country, I was able to gain copious knowledge about the Canadian culture and tradition. Canada is home to the largest number of fresh water lakes in the world and it is also the third largest country by land area. Montreal's downtown is extremely beautiful and is built in the European architectural style as compared to other big cities which gives more of a modern city vibes such as Toronto and Vancouver.

Graduating from a prestigious university in Canada gave me much need knowledge and confidence. I was able to transcend my fear of public speaking as I participated in many webinars where I gave speeches and illustrated by robotic projects. I also got immense hands-on experience while working in the university's laboratories and due to which I was able to crack my first interview.

Wishing you best for your future endeavours.

Yours faithfully,

Achin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified where you studied, provided relevant details about Canadian culture and geography, and explained the academic benefits of your experience. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister, maintaining a helpful and encouraging persona throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task requirements. To reach a higher band, ensure that the connection between your personal experience and the advice you are giving to the reader is even more explicit, perhaps by offering a concluding piece of encouragement specifically related to her potential study abroad journey.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the information easy to follow. You have used some cohesive devices effectively, such as 'While studying in the country' and 'due to which'. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, ensure that the use of cohesive devices does not feel slightly mechanical. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the letter flows well from the introduction to the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'copious knowledge', 'prestigious', and 'endeavours'. There is an attempt to use less common lexical items, which is positive. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'modern city vibes' (which is informal and slightly awkward) and 'illustrated by robotic projects' (which should likely be 'illustrated my robotic projects'). Despite these minor slips, the meaning is always clear, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message with precision in most instances.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several error-free sentences, showing good control. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'The university offer' (should be 'offers') and 'much need knowledge' (should be 'much-needed'). Additionally, 'due to which I was able to crack my first interview' is a slightly awkward construction. While these errors are present, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of adjectives and participial phrases.

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

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