Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-11

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 Sana,

I hope you are doing well. I was really happy to hear that you are considering spending a year abroad as part of your university course. Since I had a similar experience recently. I would love to share some details with you.

I spent my year abroad at the university of Melbourne in Australia, where I studied business management. It was a wonderful experience because I had the great opportunity to meet students from different countries and completely different educational environment.

During my stay, I learned to lot Australian culture and lifestyle. I found people there to be friendly, independent and respectful of others. I live there generally relaxed, but living there also taught for me how to manage my time, budget and daily responsibilities independently.

Most importantly, the year abroad was extremely helpful for my studies. The university use practical teaching methods, such as group projects, presentations and real-life case studies. This improved my communication, teamwork and problem solving skills. Moreover, interesting with international students helped me become more confident in speaking English.

Overall, I would strongly recommend spending a year abroad. It my feel challenging at first, but it can be both academically and personally rewarding. I am sure you will gain valuable experience and unforgettable memories.

Best wishes,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identify the location of your studies (University of Melbourne), describe your observations of Australian culture, and explain the academic benefits of your experience. The tone is appropriate for a friendly letter, and the purpose is clear throughout. The ideas are well-developed, providing specific examples such as 'group projects' and 'real-life case studies' to support your points. The response is fully relevant and maintains a consistent focus on the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is well-organized with a logical progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the letter easy to follow. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'During my stay', and 'Most importantly' to link your ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The flow of information is smooth, and the relationship between sentences is clear, meeting the requirements for a high band score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for the context, such as 'academically and personally rewarding', 'independent', and 'practical teaching methods'. There are a few minor slips, such as 'learned to lot' (should be 'learned a lot about') and 'interesting with international students' (should be 'interacting with'). Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning precisely and naturally. You successfully use topic-specific language related to university life and cultural exchange, which enhances the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. While the majority of your sentences are clear and accurate, there are a few grammatical slips, such as 'I live there generally relaxed' (should be 'Life there was generally relaxed') and 'It my feel' (should be 'It may feel'). Additionally, there is a minor punctuation error in the first paragraph where a sentence fragment occurs after 'recently'. However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. Your control over verb tenses and sentence construction is generally strong.

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