Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13

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 Tony,

I hope you are doing well. I was informed about your decision to study abroad. That is a good choice, and I will be glad to assist you in some areas where you might need my assistance. Education abroad is one of the greatest things I have achieved. It really helped me a lot and exposed me to many experiences I didn’t get to see in my country.

Firstly, I did my master’s at the University of Nova Scotia in Canada. It was really a great experience. I got to explore a good academic environment. The lecturers and the students were accommodating; therefore, it made learning easy for me. The classroom was conducive to learning, which created a very good atmospheric environment. There was stable electricity, a conducive library, the classrooms were in good condition, and the lecturers were highly intelligent. I was overwhelmed by the kind of things I got to experience.

Secondly, the country’s atmosphere was a bit cold compared to Nigeria, but you will cope when you get there. Their cultural diversity is amazing, and at the same time, you will experience some cultural shocks. The people there are accommodating and friendly. In addition, there are varieties of tourist attractions in Canada which you can also explore. I trust you will enjoy your stay.

Lastly, studying abroad was helpful because I was exposed to a lot of employment opportunities, and I also added to my CRS score for permanent residence.

In conclusion, I hope you enjoy your stay and make sure you read your books. I wish you success in your academic journey.

Yours faithfully,

Sofiat

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the task well. You successfully identified where you studied (the University of Nova Scotia in Canada), described what you learned about the country, specifically highlighting its cultural diversity, climate, and friendly people, and explained how the year abroad helped your studies and future prospects. However, there is a minor confusion in the salutation and opening where you address the friend's sister as "Tony" and mistakenly refer to her as a male ("make sure you read your books"), which slightly detracts from the contextual appropriateness. Nonetheless, the overall development of ideas is clear and fully addresses the prompt's requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Your letter is clearly organised into logical paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose corresponding to the bullet points in the prompt. You use sequencing markers such as "Firstly", "Secondly", and "Lastly" to guide the reader through your points. Paragraphing is used appropriately throughout the response. However, some of the cohesive devices feel slightly mechanical, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as addressing the sister with a traditionally male name "Tony" and shifting pronouns slightly. Overall, progression is clear, and the logical flow is maintained from the greeting to the sign-off "Yours faithfully" (though "Yours sincerely" would be more appropriate for a named friend or relative).

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "accommodating", "cultural diversity", and "employment opportunities". There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, for instance, using "atmospheric environment" which is somewhat repetitive, or "added to my CRS score" which is slightly informal yet understandable. Spelling and word choice errors are minimal and do not impede communication at all. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated idiomatic expressions and precise academic collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You display a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising structures such as conditional and relative clauses effectively ("where you might need my assistance", "which you can also explore"). Control of grammar and punctuation is generally good, with frequent error-free sentences. There are some minor errors, such as "there are varieties of tourist attractions" (should be "a variety" or "varieties"), but these errors do not impede communication. The punctuation is handled well, and tense consistency is maintained across narrative and descriptive sections.

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

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