Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 Pawan,

I hope this letter finds you well! I'm excited to know that you are interested in studying overseas as part of your university program.

I can give you first hand knowledge about the same as I recently attended one. I visited India and studied history subject during my one year stay at Delhi University, during which I gained copious knowledge of rich Indian History.

I learnt about the magnificient Mughal empire, which ruled India and adjacent countries for almost 500 years from almost 11th to 16th century, followed by early colonization and establishment of British Empire in 17th century. I also got an insight into the Independence revolution which took place in the early 19th century.

I believe my research helped me a lot to get valuable details about my subject which couldn't be gained from the books alone. It not only helped me to thoroughly prepare for my assignment but also enriched my experiences.

I hope you'd find the information helpful, and feel free to reach out for any other help.

With love,

Rashpal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identify where you studied (Delhi University), describe what you learned about the country (the Mughal empire and the independence movement), and explain the academic benefits of the experience. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's sister. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, you could provide more personal reflection on the cultural experience beyond the historical facts, which would add depth to the 'experience' aspect of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing that separates the different requirements of the task. Each paragraph has a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'during which', 'followed by', and 'not only... but also' to connect ideas. However, the flow between sentences could be slightly smoother; some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, and the overall progression of the letter is easy to follow, making the communication effective throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, including terms like 'copious', 'magnificient' (noting the spelling error 'magnificent'), and 'colonization'. While the range is sufficient for the task, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'attended one' (referring to a year abroad) and 'history subject' (which should be 'history' or 'a history course'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a more sophisticated level. Focusing on precise collocations will help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of relative clauses ('which ruled India...') and correlative conjunctions ('not only... but also'). There are occasional grammatical slips, such as 'I can give you first hand knowledge about the same' (a slightly unnatural phrasing) and 'I hope you'd find' (where 'will' or 'would' could be used, but 'will' is more natural here). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not cause any difficulty for the reader.

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

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