Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-19

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 Sam,

Hope you're doing well. I am writing this letter to discuss about my accounting course that I pursued in Canada.

I studied "Professional Accounting Practice" at University of Toronto. It was a two year program which included six semesters, each conducted quarterly throughout the year including a summer break of three months. The reason behind choosing this university was mainly because of this beautiful country, Canada. The people here are very friendly and this country has many beautiful places to visit during your summer breaks.

This last two years of my life have shaped my life very differently. It helped me understand how we can survive in a completely different country where you have to do everything on your own which helps a lot in developing decision making skills. I also got an international exposure, which will help me get a good job when I come back to our country.

I hope this helps you in taking your decision about pursuing this course in abroad and please let me know if you need more information, I am here to help you out.

Thanks,

Tom

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt in a natural and appropriate tone. You clearly addressed where you studied by mentioning the University of Toronto in Canada. You described what you learned about the country, highlighting that the people are friendly and that there are many beautiful places to visit. Additionally, you explained how the year abroad helped your studies and personal growth, specifically noting that living independently developed your decision-making skills and provided valuable international exposure for future job opportunities. Your ideas are well-developed and directly relevant to the task, satisfying the requirements of a general training letter effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter maintains a clear and logical organisation from beginning to end. It follows a standard informal letter format, opening with an appropriate greeting ('Dear Sam,') and closing politely. Paragraphs are used effectively to separate different themes, such as course details, country impressions, and personal benefits. Cohesive devices are generally well-managed, though some transitions like 'The reason behind choosing this university was mainly because of' could be streamlined for better flow. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow and meets the expectations of a cohesive letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some attempts at less common items, such as 'international exposure', 'decision making skills', and 'professional accounting practice'. Word choice is generally appropriate, though there are a few minor inaccuracies or awkward collocations, such as 'discuss about my accounting course' (where 'discuss' does not need 'about') and 'taking your decision' (more commonly 'making your decision'). Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout the letter. The vocabulary successfully conveys your message without causing any confusion for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a workable mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You successfully used relative clauses and prepositional phrases, such as 'which included six semesters' and 'where you have to do everything on your own'. There are a few grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues like 'This last two years of my life have...' (should be 'These last two years') and redundant phrasing in 'discuss about'. However, punctuation is mostly correct, and your sentences remain clear and comprehensible despite these occasional inaccuracies.

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